Thicker than Water
by The Anime Otaku
Summary: AU. A missed opportunity has consequences that costs a group of friends one of their own. Now, years later, the friends are drawn into a plot that will bring monsters to their knees. And only one of them holds the key to their salvation.
1. Forever and a Day

I do not own Rosario+Vampire; it was created by Akihisa Ikeda. The characters are being borrowed without permission for entertainment purposes only. However, any characters I create are my own. So don't sue me, you won't get much anyhow. I will be using elements from both manga and anime.

Thank you for reading, C&C is welcome.

* * *

Thicker than Water

Part One: Forever and a Day

By: Anime Otaku

* * *

Ayane checked her appearance in the mirror one more time. She was dressed in all black, from her boots to her top. She adjusted her leather mini, causing it to ride up her thighs, giving anyone who looked a tantalizing view of her panties. Satisfied with her look, she grabbed her coat and left the dorm room. The streets of Tokyo were nearly deserted; people too afraid to come out of their homes at night because of the attacks. She on the other hand was not. The attacks were close to the prefecture she lived in but so far had not come to her neighborhood. She was glad for that because it meant she could still go out at night. Turning into a back ally, she came to steel door that led to her destination. She banged on the door and the peephole slid open.

"Password."

"The Keeper sent me."

The peephole slid closed and the sound of a large metal bolt being removed was heard. The door opened moments later and Ayane walked inside. The bouncer took her coat and put it in a locker. She could hear the music booming beneath her feet and feel the vibrations through the floor. She smiled.

"Evenin', Miss Ayane."

"Hello, Theo. How's business tonight?"

"As strong as ever. Not even stories of the 'Tokyo Vampire' can keep our most die-hard patrons away." He flexed his arms, showing of the mussels through his black t-shirt. "Besides, whoever this psycho is I'm pretty sure I can take him no problem."

Ayane giggled at the man's bravado. "I feel much safer knowing you're here, Theo."

She gave him a friendly peck on the cheek and headed downstairs. The music became louder the further down she went, turning from a dull throb to a deafening roar. She finally made it to the massive underground dance floor and felt herself become increasingly excited.

Ayane had never been a party girl by any standers. She spent much of her time studying at home or a local library. After getting into collage that changed. On her eighteenth birthday her roommates literally drug her out of her dorm and took her to the hottest and most popular club known in the college circuit, The Crypt. Despite all her arguing and protesting, the minute she saw the people, heard the music and saw the lights she was addicted. The dance floor was in the center of the large basement with cushioned black leather couches and chairs circling the walls. The people who were not dancing were lounging on the furniture, some making out while others were having sex. A thick haze of cigarette smoke hung in the air and alcohol bottles were everywhere. That night Ayane had gained a reason to go out on the weekends and an addiction to sex. But it couldn't just be any kind of sex. She had to have it in a public place, where anyone could watch her. There was no better place than The Crypt. She could enjoy anyone she wanted and reach a euphoria that even the greatest literary writers could not describe.

If her friends could see her now they would never believe it. Her life had made a drastic one-eighty and she was a completely new person. It wasn't just the sex that drew her to the place; it was the lights, the sounds, and the very essence to the place that called to her. The Crypt was her drug and finding satisfaction there was her fix. As the music blared, Ayane scanned the crowd of familiar faces, searching for someone that could satisfy her raging lust, male or female, it didn't matter to her. As she scanned the crowed she caught sight of a face she had never seen before. He was standing in a corner, almost completely one with the shadows. Only his slightly pale skin and white shirt gave him away.

Ayane felt her breathe hitch in her throat and the ache between her legs sparked into an inferno. She had never seen a man as beautiful as he. No model or movie star could compare. His brown hair was cut short and had some streaks of silver in it. A few bangs managed to fall in front of his eyes, creating a more mysterious look about him. Ayane could have been wrong but his brown eyes seemed to almost glow in the darkness. She figured it was a play on the lighting, hitting his eyes at an odd angle. They stared at each other across the room then she lost sight of him when he moved. She caught a glimpse of a door that lead to a back room closing and headed in that direction. She desperately pushed trough the throngs of dancing bodies and finally made it to the door, throwing it open.

The stillness of a dark hallway greeted her. The man was nowhere to be seen, she couldn't even hear the echoes of his footfalls. The door slammed behind her and a soft, velvety voice whispered in her ear, making her scream.

"Are you looking for me?"

She whirled around and lost her balance. The man caught her and held her close to his body. Her face pressed against his cool chest and she squirmed, the fire threatening to burn her alive. She pulled back to look at his face and felt her cheeks heat up. The man raised an inquisitive eyebrow.

"Is there something you want?"

Ayane couldn't speak, couldn't even to begin to form a coherent sentence in her mind. Instead she reached out and rubbed her hand against his groin, pleased to find that he was aroused as she was. She then took one of his hands, putting it under her skirt and pressing it against her damp panties. She let out a moan at the contact. He smiled down at her, understanding the message.

"Alright then."

Ayane moved to take them back into the main room but instead found herself pressed against the wall. Her cry of protest turned into a moan of satisfaction as the man removed her soaked panties and inserted himself into her. She grabbed his shoulders and wrapped her legs around his torso, trying to hold on as the quickly thrust into her. She didn't worry about trying to stay quite; nobody would be able to hear them through the wall or the loud music. She felt him press a soft kiss on the side of her neck then she felt him bite her. Her eyes flew open and she gasped, pain and pleasure slamming into her like a rock. Their tempo increased and his mouth never left her neck. She suddenly started to become very tired and felt her body start to go slack. Ayane screamed in orgasm when she felt the man thrust one last time into her and release his seed, using the last of her strength to cling to him until she came down from her high.

Ayane slid down to the floor, her body completely drained. As her brain became fuzzy and her vision dimmed the last thing she remembered before blacking out was the man's chocolate-brown eyes glowing blood-red.

---------------

Tsukune checked the pulse of the woman he finished feeding from. She was still alive but unconscious. Redressing her, he picked her up and took her back into the dance floor, placing her on an empty couch. He leaned down and licked the two puncture wounds on her neck and watched them as they closed. He pressed a hand to her forehead and concentrated. After a moment he turned away and quickly made his way through the throngs of people. Nobody noticed him as he moved; only slightly shuddering from the chill left behind as he passed.

He was out the door and in the alleyway as another couple was entering, the bodyguard never noticing his entrance or exit. Away from the music and the many moving bodies, Tsukune propped himself against the wall, breathing deep. The hunger he was feeling moments before had disappeared and he could focus his mind again. He let loose a sigh of relief.

_Finally! I can think straight._

His sensitive ears picked up the sound of footsteps approaching him. He looked at the opening of the alley and saw the outline of a woman in the streetlights. He smiled at the familiar scent. "I was wondering when you would show up, Ruby."

The witch shook her head and tossed him his black long coat. "You're a hard man to clean up after, Tsukune. You didn't do a very good job of erasing the memories of the other women you drank from tonight."

Tsukune shrugged into the coat. "Sorry. I was in a hurry. I let my hunger fester too long. Plus, you know what happens when I use my powers."

Ruby sighed. "I've warned you about doing that. Next time you might not be so lucky. And I don't want to go up against your ghoul persona again. That was not an easy fight."

He smiled in apology and reached into a pocket, removing a pair of sunglasses and putting them on, hiding his eyes. The two walked out of the ally and onto the empty streets of Tokyo. Their footsteps echoed up and down the roads, interrupted only by the conversation they were having.

"How many did you drink from tonight?"

"Over five, I think. It's hard to keep track anymore. I've stopped counting."

Ruby glanced up at her friend, worry reflecting in her violet eyes. "Tsukune, don't you think it's time you look for..._her_?"

"No."

Ruby groaned. "Tsukune..."

"I'm not gonna get into this argument with you again, Ruby. Moka and the others have their own lives now. I'm not gonna upset them by showing up again. Besides, they think I'm dead. Best to leave it at that."

"But human blood isn't working anymore. You're not a complete vampire, Tsukune. You're still bound to Moka." Ruby grabbed his arm and forced him to look at her. "If you don't drink Moka's blood and complete the transformation you're never going to be satisfied with your human hosts, no matter how much blood you drink. Eventually the blood won't work anymore and you'll become a ghoul again."

Ruby knew she sounded like a nagging mother but she couldn't help it. Tsukune's transformation into a vampire wasn't like a normal one, his was a special case. Normally when a human is turned the vampire drains them of blood until they're near death. They then inject their blood into the human, creating a fledgling vampire. In this state the newly created vampire would have the normal vampire weaknesses: water, holy relics, and sunlight. At the same time they become bound to the vampire that turned them, being unable to go against any order their master gives them.

Traditionally this was so the master could groom the fledgling into a proper vampire, teaching them the rules of living as the strongest of monsters. When the fledgling was thought ready the master would let them suck their blood, completing the transformation and creating an adult vampire, no longer bound to the one that turned them. As an adult the vampire would loose it's former weaknesses and gain the freedom to do as it pleased. But because the vampires were originally a warlike species, they had to constantly drink blood in order to curb their murderous tendencies. Otherwise they would revert into ghouls, monsters whose only purpose was to kill anything and everything in sight.

Tsukune was trapped in between. Because Moka injected him repeatedly with her blood while he was still alive, his body had to sacrifice his humanity in order to create a body that could sustain the power of Moka's blood. As a result, Tsukune became the very thing the vampire species had evolved from and despised. When he was finally captured by Sanctuary, Ruby used her magic to pull Tsukune's human self from the depths of his psyche and merge the two personalities together. Since vampires were basically ghouls that could reason, Tsukune kept his new-found powers and, thanks to his human birth, received almost none of the vampire's weaknesses. The only problem he had was sunlight. While it didn't burn him in any way it gave him a massive headache, prompting him to only come out at night.

Unfortunately, because he wasn't made a vampire the correct way, the drinking of blood wasn't as effective as it normally was. Over the years, Tsukune had to keep increasing the number of humans he had to drink from, sometimes accidentally killing the host. Soon it would come to the point that blood would be ineffective and he would become a ghoul again, with no chance of saving him a second time. The change would be permanent and all that would be left to do would be to kill him. Ruby didn't want that. That was why she would beg Tsukune on an almost daily basis to find Moka and drink her blood. Doing this would complete his transformation and save him from turning into a ghoul again. But he was being so damn stubborn about it and she couldn't figure out why. Hence their continued arguing about the subject.

Tsukune looked at the witch for a long time before gently removing her hands from his arm. "I know your worried about me, Ruby, but my answer is still no. We've already agreed on what to do when that time comes, and I'm counting on you to keep your promise."

Ruby bit her lip but said nothing. There was really no point in arguing with Tsukune. He wouldn't move an inch from the choice he made. The two walked in silence until a sharp chime sounded from inside Tsukune's coat. He removed a cell phone and flipped it open; frowning at the message he had received.

"We have a job. Reika wants to meet us at the usual place."

"Okay."

The two changed direction and headed for a twenty-four hour diner where they would meet with their liaison to the Sanctuary for Paranormal Entities, an organization that monitored and protected the identities of monsters that lived in the human world. Tsukune had been working for their Enforcement Bureau for almost ten years, ever since he regained his sanity after running amok as a ghoul in the Boarder Lands and human world. The organization kept him busy and supplied him with blood when he needed it. Too bad they couldn't give him the one thing he wanted most in the world, a cure for his vampirism. Unfortunately for a vampire there was no cure, only release. Tsukune didn't want to die just yet.

They finally came to the diner and walked in, taking their usual booth in the back. A cup of coffee was placed in front of each of them and they declined the offer to order. Five minutes later their contact arrived and sat across from them. She too was given a coffee and she too declined to order. Once alone the three began talking.

"Ruby. Tsukune. Good to see you both again."

"You too, Miss Reika. What job do you have for us this time?"

Reika shook her head in amusement. "Straight to the point as always, Tsukune. Alright, I'll get right to it. Several days ago the head of the Enforcement Bureau received a communication from one of its operatives in Europe. It seems that several Vatican Inquisitors managed to locate and kill a vampire by the name of Marais Akashiya. They burned him alive in his own home along with his wife."

Tsukune raised an eyebrow and at the same time felt his stomach drop. "Inquisitors? As in the Pope's Holy Inquisitors? That's the Vatican's monster eradication department."

"That's right."

"What's so important about this vampire?" Ruby asked.

"His name wasn't Akashiya; it was Sangreal, Marias Sangreal, the king of all vampires and the third Hell-King."

Ruby nearly dropped her cup. "The king of vampires is dead!?"

Reika nodded. "Sanctuary has been keeping the Sangreal bloodline hidden from the Vatican since the end of the Forgotten War. Of all the monsters in the world the Church viewed vampires as the most dangerous and the eradication of the Sangreal bloodline is its highest priority."

"Why that particular bloodline?" Tsukune asked.

Reika poured some creamer and sugar into her cup, stirring until the black liquid turned light brown. "You know how vampires are the strongest of all monsters, right?"

"Yeah."

"Well, the Sangreal bloodline is the strongest of all vampires. They're almost god-like in their powers and some even worship them as such. They were among the first group of monsters to conquer the humans and establish monsters as the ruling class over the entire world. In fact, their name even means 'royal blood'. They ruled the kingdom for thousands of years until it was finally toppled."

Ruby asked, "Who toppled it?"

"A group of human slaves, secretly educated by mongrel monsters who hated the pure-blood ruling class. They took this knowledge and turned on their masters, both pure-blood and mongrel. The uprising soon exploded into an all-out war that nearly exterminated both species."

"How come nobody else knows of this?"

Reika smiled thinly. "History is written by the victors. When humans finally succeeded in driving the many surviving monsters into hiding they destroyed all traces of their kingdom and turned their kind into nothing more than stories told to frighten children. It was at this point that human history officially began. Ever since then Inquisitions and witch hunts would be carried out by the Church to make sure that the number of monsters living in the world never rose high enough to create another kingdom again."

Ruby's mouth hung open. "Could they really do that? Change centuries of history on a whim?"

"Oh yes. When it comes down to it, we humans can be rather ruthless and cold-blooded when we want something bad enough."

Reika's hands gripped her cup and her entire frame shook. Tsukune understood, almost painfully so. She was one of the few humans that worked within the SPE. As such she was viewed with extreme scrutiny and open hatred by almost everyone, monster and witch alike. Tsukune was the only one who showed her any amount of kindness at all. Even Ruby didn't completely trust her. Being a former human, Tsukune knew what it was like to be surrounded by monsters and feel so out of place.

Reaching across the table, Tsukune gave her hands a squeeze. Reika looked up and smiled in thanks, wiping her eyes. "Sorry. Anyway, getting back to the matter at hand. As you can imagine the death of King Marais is a great victory for the Vatican, but it's an incomplete one."

Tsukune tilted his head to the side. "Incomplete how?"

"The king and his queen may be dead but the bloodline still exists. He has living family, four daughters to be exact. That's going to be your new assignment; you're to protect the heir until she can claim the throne."

Tsukune felt his stomach tighten. He was getting a bad feeling about this. "Who are they?"

Reika reached into her purse and pulled out a sealed folder. She slid it across the table. "Don't worry; you'll only have to look after the third eldest daughter. She's the heiress. When King Marias was killed the other three were immediately taken into protective custody by Sanctuary.

"Why wasn't the third one taken in as well?"

"It's a bit complicated."

"Complicated how?"

"She has no idea who she really is or what she is about to become. Look in the folder."

The feeling in his gut getting stronger, Tsukune opened the folder and removed two photographs. One was of a girl around the age of fifteen with pink hair and green eyes. She had a big smile on her face and was wearing a very familiar school uniform. Around her neck was a leather collar with a silver cross hanging off it. The other was of the same girl but her features had changed. Her hair was silver and her eyes were blood-red. She wore the same uniform but the cross was missing from her collar. The picture showed her in the middle of a high kick, the object she was kicking was out of picture. Whatever color Tsukune had gained from his last meal drained away and left him pale as a ghost.

Reika continued, not noticing his discomfort. "The girl with the silver hair is Wilhelmina Sangreal, King Marias' heir. The on in the other picture is Moka Akashiya, her cover identity. Both of them are the same person and the next target on the Inquisitors' eradication list."

---------------

Ruby unlocked the door to the apartment that she and Tsukune shared. The vampire was silent all the way home, his white-knuckle grip on the folder that held Moka's pictures never loosening. He brushed past the witch and immediately went into his room, slamming the door. Ruby calmly put on a pot of tea as Tsukune proceeded to punch the walls in his room, putting more holes in the reinforced concrete.

Ruby wasn't worried about him disturbing any of the other tenets, there were none. The building they were using was a safehouse used by Sanctuary Enforcement Bureau. When monsters were being pursued by human hit squads or they were being interrogated by other Enforcement members they were brought here until the situation was taken care of. Tsukune had spent much of his time here as a ghoul after Sanctuary captured him. It was only through Ruby's intervention that his life was spared. Thanks to her brief tutelage under the headmaster of Yokai Academy she created the method that merged Tsukune's human and ghoul personalities, creating a Dampier, a half-human half-vampire hybrid, something that had never existed in the world before, making Tsukune the first and only Dampier in existence. The ritual had drained her of nearly all her magical power but she had been successful. Tsukune had awakened with a full set of memories of what he had been doing since he disappeared from Yokai Academy. It had taken him a couple of months to get over his grief and accept what he was but Ruby had been there to help him through it.

Tsukune joined Sanctuary soon after, seeing it as his way to atone for all the damage he had caused and the lives he destroyed. Ruby joined as well, her reason being so she could keep an eye on him and make sure he wouldn't revert to his ghoul persona again. In truth she only wanted to be closer to Tsukune. She had already liked the boy after the kindness he had shown her during their first meeting and after close to ten years of working together she had fallen in love with him. She knew that nothing would come of it, Tsukune still had Moka in his heart, even if he refused to acknowledge it.

Tsukune's demeanor had changed ever since he became a Dampier. Ruby suspected it was only natural, after facing the things he had done it was really hard to go around with a smile on your face. In fact his behavior reminded her of Moka when she had her powers unleashed, cold and ruthless. His kindness was still there but he only let it out on very rare occasions. Ruby missed the part of him that was always smiling but accepted the fact that Tsukune had changed. For better or for worse this was Tsukune now and she accepted him regardless.

The pounding in Tsukune's room stopped just as the water for the tea finished boiling. Ruby pored two cups and joined Tsukune at the table as he came out of his room. He took the cup from her and she saw his bloody knuckles begin to heal over, creating flawless skin once again.

"I'm sorry, Ruby."

"Don't apologize, you did nothing wrong."

"I lost my temper."

"Understandable."

"Is it?"

Ruby nodded. "It is. After all this time of living peacefully, Moka is going to be in danger again. And because you still love her--"

"I _don't_ love her!"

"Oh, but you do." Ruby leaned across the table and flicked him in the forehead. "Did you suddenly forget that I'm a witch? I have my crow familiars spread all over Tokyo and they report everything to me. So I know about the trips you take to see Moka when you say you're going out to feed. How you follow her home from work when she stays late and when she goes out with friends, just so you can see her and make sure she doesn't get hut. Since there's nobody who can pull off her rosario she's far more vulnerable now than she ever was before."

Tsukune rubbed his forehead. Moka -- _both_ Mokas -- used to do that to him a lot. Usually when he did something stupid, like put himself in harms way when he tried to pull off the rosario. Inner Moka -- or Wilhelmina Sangreal as she was officially known -- never missed a chance to berate him for his stupidity and give him her signature flick to the head. Of course she also never missed a chance to remind him that all she wanted was his blood, but Tsukune wondered if it was something more. He started having suspicions after the fight with Kuyo of the Yokai Academy Protection Committee. Before then Inner Moka had never touched him unless it was absolutely necessary. But after his brush with death she seemed to cling to him more often. Not in the way that Kurumu or Yukari did but she made sure to have some sort of physical contact with him, a brush of the hands, a pat on the shoulder or her usual flick to the forehead. To most people those actions would seem like insignificant gestures but coming from a person as distant as Inner Moka, they spoke volumes.

"It doesn't matter if I love her or not. I can't be with her anymore. I'm a dead man, remember? Tomorrow I'll contact Reika and tell her to give someone else this job."

"She won't do it, Tsukune."

"Why not?"

"The Enforcement Bureau chose us for a reason. It's because of our connection to Moka when she was in school. You know her best and know how to protect her. Besides, Tsukune, you know that most monsters hardly trust Sanctuary, especially the Enforcement Bureau. If we have to reveal ourselves to her at least we'll be people she can trust."

Tsukune's frown deepened. It didn't matter how logical Ruby was in her reasoning, the fact remained that he did not want to expose himself to Moka. She had moved on, she had a life of her own now and he wasn't in it. The last thing she needed was him showing up again out of the blue. Who knew what that would do to her. But on the other hand her life was in danger and no matter how much he wanted to stay away, he wasn't about to just let her be killed simply because she was a vampire. Dammit! Sometimes he hated the fact that he was born a human.

Sighing, Tsukune downed his tea in one gulp. "When do we start?"

"Tomorrow. I'll be moving to the new safehouse during the day. I'll call you with directions that night."

"Shifts?"

"A day and a night. Guess who'll be taking which."

He nodded. "Okay. Any information on the Inquisitor operatives?"

"Reika will be sending us a complete dossier tomorrow. It'll contain everything Sanctuary knows about the Inquisitors. Don't expect much though."

"Backup?"

"Not unless we absolutely need it. The Director wants to keep this operation as small as possible. Also, if we can, she wants us to capture an Inquisitor member alive. We might be able to pump some info out of him if we're lucky."

Tsukune nodded. "Understandable. Sun's about to come up. I'm going to bed."

"G'night, Tsukune. See you tomorrow evening."

"Yeah. Ruby?"

"Hm?"

"Sorry, about earlier. Y'know, walking out on you and Reiko like that. It wasn't your fault."

Tsukune shut the door to his room before Ruby could say anything. She smiled thinly. She called the room Tsukune's but in truth it was both of theirs. Tsukune used it during the day while Ruby slept there at night. Then there was the rare occasion when they both slept in the bed together. It didn't happen that often but when it did, Ruby let herself become selfish and revel in the fact that she and she alone had Tsukune all to herself. Not wanting to let one of those rare times go to waste she quickly washed and put away the cups then began to shed her clothing. She entered their sometimes shared room and found Tsukune staring out the only window the apartment had, the black curtain pulled slightly back. She didn't bother to close the door or sneak up behind him, his vampire senses could hear and smell her coming quite easily. Her arms circled his naked torso and she pressed her body close to his, her fingers tracing the many scars he received while he was still a human. She felt his body shudder and his breathing speed up.

"Ruby..."

"I know," she whispered. "It's all right, really. Let's just forget for a while."

Tsukune turned around in her arms and Ruby leaned up on her tiptoes to press her mouth to his. He returned the kiss and picked her up, carrying her to the bed. Ruby quickly worked at his pants, removing them and his boxers from his body. Tsukune positioned himself and slid into her opening. Ruby moaned and clung to him.

_Yes,_ she thought as he began thrusting. _Let's forget that you still love Moka. That you'll never love me like I love you. Let me just have you, even if it's only for one day out of forever._

Their thrusting and breathing increased in tempo until Tsukune grunted and climaxed. Ruby screamed in orgasm and sighed as Tsukune slowly removed himself from her. The Dampier lay on his back while Ruby snuggled up to him, placing her head on his chest.

As the sun slowly rose outside, Ruby found a brief moment of happiness in the arms of the man she loved the most. Even if it was only a false happiness that existed in a never-ending dream of her own creation.

(End Part One)

---------------

Author's Rant: Greetings again, one and all. At last I have returned with another story for you to sink your teeth into. I apologize for the long wait but things just got in the way. But I'm back again and I hope you will enjoy this new tail I have spun for you. Enjoy!


	2. Illusion of Life

I do not own Rosario+Vampire; it was created by Akihisa Ikeda. The characters are being borrowed without permission for entertainment purposes only. However, any characters I create are my own. So don't sue me, you won't get much anyhow. I will be using elements from both manga and anime.

Thank you for reading, C&C is welcome.

* * *

Thicker than Water

Part Two: Illusion of Life

By: Anime Otaku

* * *

"Two roads diverged in a wood, and I -- I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference."

Moka Akashiya faced her freshman English class, green eyes scanning the crowd. All the boys were staring at her intently while the girls looked only mildly interested. Some things never changed, it seemed. "Now, who would like to translate this into Japanese for me?"

The room became silent as a graveyard, the students trying not to make eye contact. Moka pouted. Five years of teaching and she still had to drag a volunteer out of her classes. "Nobody? Hmm, guess I'll have to pick someone. Now, who should it be?"

The entire class began to fidget. Moka's voice became sweet as candy, but it was candy laced with poison. She scanned the class until she found a likely prospect. "Kenichi-san, you have good marks in this class, why don't you give it a try?"

The brown-haired freshman jolted in his seat, his face going pale. "Urk! I...um...that is..."

Moka smiled sweetly. "Yes?"

His face turned red. Slowly getting out of his seat, he looked at his workbook, finding the phrase Moka had read to them. "Um...let's see..."

Moka patiently waited for him to speak while he fidgeted nervously. When it looked like he would pass out from embarrassment the bell sounded, signaling the end of the class and the school day. The boy visibly relaxed and sighed in relief.

Moka took pity on the freshman and had him sit down. "Saved by the bell this time." She closed her workbook and gathered her materials. "Remember the homework I assigned you. I'll be collecting it on Monday."

"Rise," a girl with red hair pulled into a high ponytail called. "Bow."

The entire class bowed to Moka. "Have a good weekend, Akashiya-sensei!"

Moka left the classroom all smiles. She really enjoyed her job as a teacher in the human world. The faculty was really friendly and all the students she taught adored her. It was a drastic change form when she was a student in junior high. Of course it also helped that nobody here knew that she was a vampire. Except for the gym teacher, but that was only because they both went to Yōkai Academy together.

The faculty room was still empty when Moka arrived. Happy to have a little time to herself she sat at her workspace and began to grade papers from her senior classes. Dealing with freshmen was hard enough, but seniors was down right rigorous. With a mixture of raging hormones and a "we-know-everything" attitude, they could sometimes be a wild bunch. And the looks they gave her. Moka shuddered. They weren't even looks, they were leering at her. Boys and girls alike.

Unfortunately for Moka, she didn't have to wonder what they were thinking when they looked at her. Even with her powers sealed, she was still a vampire and her senses were sharper than a normal human's. Because of that she could hear the quiet labored breathing and pounding hearts of the classroom. Even worse she could _smell_ the arousal some put off. It took a lot of willpower not to run from the classroom, screaming at the top of her lungs. But she endured, not only because she loved her job but because not all the students were like that.

_"And because you had me there to help you!"_

Moka stopped working and looked at her rosario. It had a soft pink glow around it and the rosary bead had turned red. Her other self was talking to her again. "You're up early," she whispered. "You usually sleep all day."

_"Something woke me up."_

"Something bad?"

_"Can't say for sure. It feels familiar. You should keep your guard up, just in case."_

Moka felt her other self seep deeper into her psyche, the rosario loosing its glow. Seconds later the faculty door opened and more teachers began filing in. They sat at their desks and started grading papers like she was while others lit cigarettes and started complaining about their day in general. The last one in stretched and plopped down on Moka's desk as she was booting up her laptop.

"Finally, the day's over!" The teacher leaned over in front of Moka's computer screen, her large chest blocking the vampire's view. "Hey, Moka! Let's get something to eat and do some shopping after the faculty meeting. Whaddya say?"

Moka looked into the violet eyes of Yunyu High School's baby-faced gym teacher. "Sorry Kurumu, I still have to finish grading papers after the meeting. And I have to enter them onto my computer. I'll be staying late again."

Kurumu groaned and hung her head, bangs falling over her eye. "But, Mokaaaa!" she whined. "You work entirely too much. We haven't had a girl's night out in forever!"

The vampire only smiled and kept typing at her computer. "One of us has to pull their weight around here, Kurumu. If you took your job a little more seriously, you just might get a bigger pay raise next semester. Then you won't need me to help you by the cloths you want."

The blue-haired succubus leaned back, ignoring her friend's comment about her cloths. "But I _do_ take my job seriously. To know that I'm the one who gets all the boys hot and bothered makes my becoming a gym teacher worth while." She thrust out her chest to emphasize her point. "And when the summer months come around...just knowing they're looking at my body..."

"And the fact that you didn't take your college entrance exams seriously has nothing to do with it?"

"Shut it! You're ruining the moment!"

Moka looked up at her friend. Kurumu had a big smile on her face and her cheeks were red. She shook her head. "You need to control yourself, Kurumu. One of these days you're going to get in trouble when you take your little fantasies too far."

Kurumu pouted when she was pulled from her daydream. "Killjoy. I swear, Moka, you're such a prude. You could ruin a wet dream."

"Kurumu, I'm in no mood to get pulled into this argument with you again."

"That's only because you know I'm right. You need to find yourself a man, Moka. And when you find him you need to let loose and have the kind of sex you only hear about in the gossip around the school."

Moka's cheeks turned slightly pink. "O-oh yeah!? Well, what about you, Kurumu? Where's your man and your wild nights full of sex?"

Kurumu waved a dismissing hand. "None of the men I've met are worthy enough to have me as a sexual partner."

Most people would have thought Kurumu to be extremely self-centered after that statement, but Moka knew better. She could pierce through her friend's façade and see the real truth. Kurumu still missed Tsukune. Choosing him as her "Mate of Fate" meant more than just having him father her children, it was a bond between the two that couldn't be broken until death. The succubi equivalent to a human marriage.

Tsukune's death had been devastating for Kurumu. She had slipped into a depression that she never really got out of. She may have put on a strong face for the benefit of everyone else but those who were closest to her knew better. Of all Kurumu's friends, Moka understood her pain the best. She had almost stopped coming to school it had hurt so much. Everything reminded her of Tsukune. She had dropped out of the Newspaper Club entirely and stopped talking to everyone. She would have continued this behavior but then she saw how much Kurumu was suffering. Realizing she wasn't the only one in pain, she pulled herself out of her depression and then helped Kurumu out of hers. They became closer after that and helped each other come to terms with Tsukune's death. But even after ten years it seems that neither of them truly accepted that he was gone.

"I got an e-mail from Yukari yesterday."

Moka looked away from her computer screen. Kurumu wore a somber expression and she was smiling sadly. "Really?"

"Yeah. She's flying in from America next week. Seems she got some time off from teaching job at MIT and she wants to come visit us."

"And Tsukune's grave. Right?"

Kurumu nodded. "Yeah, and visit Tsukune's grave."

The two fell into a silence that was only broken by another teacher calling the faculty meeting to order.

---------------

Twilight had come to the city by the time Moka left the school. Kurumu met her at the gate and after a bit more begging and pleading, Moka finally agreed to go out with her before heading home. A quick commute latter the two women were at Kurumu's favorite shopping strip in Harajuku. Moka herself wasn't too crazy about the selection the shops catered to but Kurumu was all into them. She was really into the trends of the day and it showed, her closet was full of all the cloths and accessories she bought from here.

Moka stood back and watched as Kurumu went from shop to shop, picking out cloths she liked and complaining on how her teacher's salary wasn't enough to even purchase half of what she wanted. While her succubus friend fawned over the cloths, Moka watched the many couples that walked around with each other, arm in arm. She let out a sad sigh. Every time she saw a couple they were replaced with her and Tsukune. She couldn't help herself. He had been the first friend she ever made and the first -- and so far only -- person to fall in love with. She had tried to move on after his death but like Kurumu she couldn't. Tsukune had been something special, something that only appeared once in a lifetime. Nobody could ever replace him, ever.

Kurumu finished looking around and returned to collect her vampire friend. After a quick dinner they were on the train and soon back in their home preference. A short walk later and they arrived at the apartment they shared. Kurumu ran to her room and began putting away her newly purchased cloths while Moka prepared a shower for herself. She threw her white blouse and black skirt on the bed followed by her undergarments. She wrapped herself in a towel and entered the small bathroom that was placed near the apartment's small entrance hall. Stepping under the shower spray, Moka sighed as the warm water hit her body.

Moka was so glad that she was an adult vampire now. Water no longer shorted out her powers so there was no need to add herbs whenever she cooked or took a bath. She could also swim whenever she wanted, although she hadn't stepped into a pool since college. It was ridicules, she knew, but she couldn't help herself. It just reminded her to much of Tsukune.

_"Weakling! It's been ten years already! Time to forget him and move on!"_

Moka looked at her glowing rosario again. "I can't do that and you know it. Even if I did move on you would still remember him."

_"Wh-what are you talking about?"_

"You love Tsukune as well. Even if you deny it I can tell. We do share the same body after all."

If Moka tried, she could her silver-haired counterpart blushing furiously. _"How do you know that!?"_

"I didn't exactly sleep when you are awake. I saw the way you looked at Tsukune. How often you touched him, as if to make sure that he was real and that he was still alive."

_"You SAW all that!?"_

"Everything. Imagine my surprise when I realized that the great Vampire Princess Wilhelmina Sangreal could fall in love. And with a human no less."

_"So...you knew."_

Moka nodded. "Of course I did. I may have been innocent, carefree and somewhat oblivious but I wasn't wholly ignorant as to what I was and who you were. I also knew what was supposed to happen when you were unsealed."

_"That was an unexpected turn of events. And it was all thanks to Tsukune."_

Moka smiled. "Yes. Tsukune is the reason that I exist and for that I will be eternally grateful."

_"You should've stuck with the transfusion bags. Then things wouldn't be so damned complicated."_

The conversation over, Moka finished her shower and dressed for bed. She heard Kurumu start up the shower again and walked out onto the balcony, gazing across the city skyline. The sky had turned blue-black and she could see several stars through the city's light pollution. She was turning away when she caught movement out of the corner of her eye. A human-shaped shadow had been standing on top of one of the buildings across the street then seemed to suddenly disappear. Moka turned back to the building, scanning the streets and rooftops, trying to see the shadow again.

"Moka, I'm going to bed. Moka?"

Kurumu put a hand on her friend's shoulder, pulling the vampire's attention away from the street. "Kurumu?"

"What's wrong? You were totally spaced out."

"I thought I saw something."

"Like what? Was it a student? Are they watching you right now?" Kurumu's cheeks went red. "Or maybe they're watching me?"

Moka groaned and walked back inside while the succubus got lost in her fantasies. She went to her room and shut the door. She slipped under the covers of her bed and turned off the light.

"Goodnight, Kurumu."

Ignoring her roommate's complaining, Moka closed her eyes, wondering who had been watching her.

---------------

Tsukune released his breath when the light went off and the door was closed. He stepped from the shadows and removed his glasses, his brown eyes glowing softly. That had been too close. Even after all these years Moka's senses were as sharp as ever. He'd have to be more careful or else he would get discovered and his cover would be blown. Not a good way for things to start. It had only been a week and already he wanted to expose himself to her. True, he followed her before he got the assignment but he was only near her for a few minuets. Now it was for twelve hours. Even if all he did was watch the apartment where she and Kurumu lived it was still enough to drive him almost insane. She was so close and so far away at the same time.

_Goddammit!_ he groaned when a sudden flare of hunger erupted inside him.

Reaching into a pocket, Tsukune pulled out a transfusion bag. He ripped open the top and downed its entire contents. It wasn't satisfying enough. He was sick and tired of blood from a bag. He wanted the blood while it was still warm and the prey was still alive and breathing. He wanted to feel the prey as it struggled in a vain attempt to rip itself from his grasp. He wanted to drain it of its blood then consume its flesh...

Alarmed at the direction his thoughts were going, Tsukune pulled out a small UV flashlight. He turned it on and pointed the beam of light directly in his eyes. He cried out as pain ripped through his brain, sending him to the ground and clutching his head. Even with his brain feeling like it got stabbed with an ice pick the craving to hunt and kill and devour was still strong. Gritting his teeth and forcing his eyes to remain open, Tsukune continued to stare into the light until the pain was more intense than his ghoul cravings.

He was running out of time, he realized. The cravings were becoming more intense by the day and his normal consumption of blood was having almost little to no effect. Soon it would be by sheer willpower alone that kept him sane. There was no telling how long that would last.

_Running out of time, options and luck it seems._

Tsukune sat himself against an air-conditioning unit, turning off the flashlight and putting it away. This was getting out of hand. As things stood there was no way he would make it to the end of this assignment. Sanctuary would have to get someone else to take over his spot when the time came. Tsukune only hoped that they could protect Moka from the Vatican.

He turned his attention back to the apartment. Tsukune felt another craving well up inside him. It wasn't the bloodlust of a ghoul that burned inside him but the desire to see Moka up close. To be able to touch her, to feel her baby-smooth skin and silky hair once again. He grit his teeth, trying to beat down those urges. It was hard to do. He could easily give in and sneak into her house but that would jeopardize the assignment. Plus Ruby's crow would see him. He looked up to see the witch's animal familiar perched atop the same AC unit he was leaning against. The bird looked at him, cocking its head.

_"Problem, Tsukune?"_

Tsukune placed a hand to his forehead. He couldn't get used to the birds ability to speak to him in his head. A very useful trait that Ruby gave them but weird as hell. Tsukune blinked. He could use this. Ruby told him that if he needed anything, he only had to tell the crows and they would get it for him. No matter what it was. He made his decision. He would use this window of opportunity to satisfy his urges and hopefully put them to rest.

"I need more blood packs," he told the crow. "Get them."

The bird flapped its wings and took to the sky. _"Get you blood packs, Tsukune. Be back soon, Tsukune."_

Tsukune watched until the bird was out of sight then stood up. He adjusted his coat and judged the distance from the rooftop to Moka's apartment. He jumped the space easily and landed on the apartment building's third floor balcony. He slid the glass door open and stepped inside. The room was in immaculate condition, completely clean and organized. That was defiantly Moka's doing. While Kurumu wasn't a complete slob, she couldn't keep her own room as clean as the rest of the apartment. He let himself explore the main room. The place was surprisingly spacious, a modest sized kitchen that held a fridge, stove and sink. A single table with four chairs was just off the kitchen with a TV shoved into the living room corner and a small sofa in front of it.

Not very luxurious but for two single women it was good enough he supposed. Tsukune opened the door to Moka's room and quietly slipped inside. The room was small, big enough to fit a bed, a desk, a dresser and a closet. He scanned the desk and dresser, his gaze lingering on a couple of pictures she had framed. Some were of her and friends from college while others were from her days at Yōkai Academy. He was passing the desk when he saw a frame that was lying facedown. Curiosity getting the better of him, he picked it up and turned it over. It was a picture of him in his street cloths. He was propped against one of the many tombstones that littered the academy grounds. A sleeping Moka was in his arms, her head resting against his chest, a smile on her face. He was sleeping as well, his head resting on top of hers.

Tsukune remembered that day well. It was the end of a school day and for once he and Moka found themselves enjoying each others company without the interruption of Kurumu or Yukari. They enjoyed their time together, talking about everything and nothing as they walked outside the school grounds. The day could have been perfect but as usual something had to come along and ruin it. A senior from the school found the two and demanded that Tsukune hand Moka over to him. He reviled himself to be an incubus and told them that he had chosen Moka to be worthy enough to bear his children. Moka, of course, rejected him and that infuriated him to no end. Tsukune pulled off the rosario when he attacked them and Inner Moka awoke, intent to put the demon in his place for ruining her good day. Unfortunately the monster proved to be stronger than originally thought and the female vampire eventually had to go on the defensive.

Seeing the situation about to get out of hand, Tsukune told Inner Moka to inject him with her blood. True it would weaken her but at the same time it would put a fresh body into the fight and with two super-strong vampires attacking him at the same time, the incubus would have no choice but to either retreat or be beaten within an inch of his life. After some mild protests from the vampire, she finally agreed. Moka injected her blood into him and he gained the power of the vampire. Tsukune didn't remember much after that, it all seemed like a dream to him but when he woke up, he was leaning against a tombstone and Inner Moka was in his lap, resting against him.

The incubus was several feet away, bleeding from his mouth and nose and lying unconscious in a small crater. Inner Moka flicked him in the head, warning him not to be so reckless with his body like that again, even if it was to save her. Picking up the rosario, she clipped it back onto her collar and smiled her thanks up to him. When Outer Moka was resting in his arms, he tightened his grip on her and closed his eyes, wanting to get some rest before going back to the school dorms.

Tsukune didn't know that anyone had taken a picture of them like that. He couldn't help but wonder who it was or how Moka had gotten her hands onto it. What he did know was that she treasured it greatly. He could tell from the frayed and worn-out edges that she must have carried it with her everywhere before putting it in a frame. He put the picture back the way he found it and walked over to the bed.

Moka was on her side, sleeping peacefully. She hadn't even noticed his presence in the room. He wondered why not. Whenever Ruby walked into the room he immediately knew it, it didn't matter if he was asleep or awake. But she continued to sleep on, blissfully ignorant that the man she missed more than anything was standing only a few feet from her. Slowly reaching out, he ran a hand lightly through her hair, marveling its silky texture. His hand left the hair and stroked her cheek. Just as soft and smooth as he remembered.

Tsukune quickly removed his hand when his thumb brushed her lips. Their velvety texture sent a jolt of electricity through his body and he found himself wanting to kiss her, to know what she tasted like.

_Okay, that's enough. Time to go!_

He turned to leave when he heard Moka softly whisper his name. He looked behind him and began to panic when the vampire sat up, rubbing her eyes. His heart hammered in his chest as her eyes became cleared and focused. She looked directly at him and in that instant he knew that he was screwed.

"Tsukune...?" she whispered, not quite believing what she was seeing. Tears formed at the corners of her eyes and rolled down her face as she reached out to him. "Is that you, Tsukune?"

Tsukune couldn't move. Conflict was raging inside him. His brain was telling him to remember the mission and leave but his heart wanted nothing more than to accept Moka's invitation and take her in his arms. He could leave, he _should_ leave, and steel his heart to anything and everything he ever felt for the woman crying on the bed right now. But he couldn't. That damned human side of him wanted to forget that the past ten years had happened, that they were still at Yōkai Academy and his biggest worry was how to tell Moka how he really felt.

His human side eventually won out. Seeing how everything was spinning out of control anyway, Tsukune threw caution to the wind and took the weeping vampire in his arms, holding her close. Moka gasped and started to cry harder, her teardrops falling on his skin.

"I'm not dreaming," he heard her whisper. "Please tell me I'm not dreaming."

Tsukune grit his teeth to stop himself from blurting out the truth to her. Instead he gently pushed her away and wiped her tears. Gods, but she was beautiful. As a girl she had been unnaturally cute but as a woman she was breathtaking. It was killing him to even look at her. If he didn't pull away and leave now, he would never be able to. With a heavy heart, Tsukune made her sit back on the bed and kneeled in front of her.

"I'm sorry, Moka. I have to go."

The pain on Moka's face stabbed him in the heart like a silver stake. She slowly shook her head, more tears coming to her eyes.

"No! Not again! I don't want to loose you again, Tsukune!" Her words came out fast and panicked. She leaned forward and latched onto his arm to prevent him from leaving. "Please...don't leave me."

Tsukune leaned down and softly kissed her forehead. "You'll never lose me, Moka. I'll always be with you." He moved the rosario to the side and placed a hand over her heart. "Right here."

His hand came up to stroke the side of her face and as it did, it started to glow a soft yellow. Moka's eyes lost their focus and her eyelids slid closed. She fell back on the bed and Tsukune covered her up. Leaving as quietly as he came in, Tsukune leapt back onto the top of the building he was observing from.

The moment he landed pain erupted from his neck and spread throughout his entire body. The feeling was familiar. It happened to him all those years ago when Moka's blood had remained in his body and began turning him into a ghoul. He should've known better. That's what he got for using some of his power to put Moka to sleep. All that did was speed up the process even more.

_"Came back, Tsukune! Got your blood, Tsukune!"_

Tsukune looked up and saw the crow he sent away perched on the AC unit again with two blood bags hanging from its beak. He snatched them away and ripped them open, downing both at the same time. The pain soon faded but didn't go away entirely. His hand went to his throat and rubbed it. He could almost see the black lines that marked him as a ghoul fade away.

"Dammit! That was stupid! That was so fuckin' stupid of me!!" He lashed out and put a fist-sized hole into the AC unit. The machine sputtered and sparked then went quite, smoke rising out of it. "Well shit."

Pulling his fist out of the machine, Tsukune looked to the east and saw the faint light of the sun starting to rise. Realizing more time had passed than he originally thought, he pulled out his phone. He texted Ruby about the impending shift change and sat back to wait. Another hour and he would be able to go home and hopefully forget about the dumb-shit thing he just did.

He looked back to Moka's apartment and felt his heart speed up. Well, no chance of that happening anytime soon.

He looked up at the crow. "Y'know, sometimes I hate -- I mean _really_ hate -- the fact that I was born human." The bird simply bobbed its head. "Heh, why am I complaining to you? You've got it easy. No complicated emotions to torment you, no fear of loosing your humanity and turning into an unstoppable killing machine. You just have to fly, eat, sleep and occasionally answer the calls of you master. Lucky bastard."

The bird didn't respond and Tsukune didn't expect it to. Ruby only gave them a limited amount of intelligence. All they really knew how to do was follow the orders given to them. Anything beyond that required a higher degree of magic. But since Ruby had so many spread out all over the city it was much easier for her to give them the most simple of basic human intelligence, that way it didn't put too much of a strain on her magic.

Tsukune's cell went off and he flipped it open, reading a text from Ruby. "ON MY WAY. NEED ANYTHING?"

"My old life back would be nice," he grumbled but dared not say that to her. No point in crying over spilled milk. He replied in the negative and went back to waiting.

Ruby showed up just as the sun's light was beginning to peak over the low-rise buildings. Tsukune reported on the inactivity the night brought him and picked up his empty blood bags. Saying his goodbyes the Dampier jumped down to the street and walked to the new safehouse. Tsukune put his glasses on to keep the sun from giving him a headache, one of those per day was about all he could take. The streets were still void of any kind of human traffic.

Tsukune pitied humans somewhat. With the exception of a very select few all of them lived their day to day lives in blissful ignorance, unaware of the hidden world that lay just beneath the surface. But it was this illusion that kept monsters safe and alive. If the existence of monsters became public knowledge it would more than likely lead to another war between the two. And with the destructive technology that the modern era granted everyone it was a sure bet that neither species would survive afterwards.

He arrived at the safehouse and let himself inside, being sure to lock the door behind him. Like the last one it was disguised as a low rent apartment complex with no room for new tenets. Several rooms were put aside as a living quarters while the others were holding cells.

Tsukune opened the door to his room and unrolled the futon in its center. Not even bothering to undress, he flopped down on his back and closed his eyes. His entire body ached and his head still hurt from the UV light he took to the face. His visit with Moka was still fresh in his mind but at that moment it paled in comparison to another problem he found himself facing. After all the promises he forced Ruby to make, after he convinced himself to simply revert back into a ghoul again, Tsukune suddenly didn't want that fate anymore. He wanted to live. He wanted to be with Moka again and have that sweet illusion of a normal life with her.

Unsure about what to do with this new revelation, Tsukune simply blocked it out of his mind. For the moment anyway. He was too tired to try and sort out his feelings right now. All he wanted was the peaceful oblivion that sleep brought him. At least there he could leave reality behind him and enjoy the illusions he made for himself. If only for a little while.

(End Part Two)

---------------

Authors rant: Well, here's part two. Thank you for the reviews, those are the fuel that keeps me writing. Keep sending them and I'll keep writhing (and posting chapters faster as well). Enjoy the story and I'll see ya next chapter.


	3. Sunflower Reunion

I do not own Rosario+Vampire; it was created by Akihisa Ikeda. The characters are being borrowed without permission for entertainment purposes only. However, any characters I create are my own. So don't sue me, you won't get much anyhow. I will be using elements from both manga and anime.

Thank you for reading, C&C is welcome.

* * *

Thicker than Water

Part Three: Sunflower Reunion

By: Anime Otaku

* * *

Wilhelmina Sangreal watched silently as her other half brushed her hair in front of the bathroom mirror. The events of last night swirled maidenly in her mind as she tried to make sense of it all. She didn't know the hows or whys, but there was one thing she knew for sure. Tsukune was alive. He was alive and he was more powerful than she thought possible. Probably even more powerful than her. Normally such a thing would not even cross her mind but she had felt the power that he gave off when he touched Moka.

It was unique. Not fully human and not fully vampire, completely different from when she injected her blood into him. As she pondered his new power, Wilhelmina's mind drifted back to the time when she believed Tsukune had been lost to her forever.

The water was hitting her skin with the feeling of thousands of knives stabbing her all at once. The magical backlash she was feeling from her powers being shorted out sent her to her knees as the electrical current coursed through her body, adding on to the pain she was feeling.

Midou was standing a few feet away, his arms raised to the heavens in some sort of mock prayer and laughing at her weakness. She felt her blood boil in rage. This pathetic little half-breed had the nerve to mock her for being weak when he was the one who had to result to underhanded tactics just to beat her. When she got her hands on him she was going to bleed him dry for his transgressions. Maybe he would learn him place just before he died.

The Monstrel was moving in her direction, his gargantuan arm poised to strike. Wilhelmina tried to move but the pain was too great and Midou was too fast. She closed her eyes and tensed up for the blow. It never came. Instead warms splotches of liquid landed on her face and a sweet smell assaulted her senses.

The female vampire opened her eyes to find Tsukune standing between her and Midou, the mongrel monster's oversized hand lodged into his shoulder. He fell into her arms, his life slowly bleeding out of him. For the first time in her entire life Wilhelmina felt cold fear grip her heart. She yelled at him, wanting to know why, why did he do such a stupid thing. And Tsukune, poor, foolish, loveable Tsukune simply smiled at her and said that both Mokas, the Inner and the Outer, were important to him. Then he asked for another injection so he could protect both of them.

She had objected. His body was already so badly infected with her blood that another injection could kill him. Ultimately they were left with no choice. Tsukune was fading fast and an injection was probably the only thing that would save his life. Leaning in close, Wilhelmina confessed that the reason she pushed him away was because she didn't want him to die. She then sank her fangs into his neck, injecting her blood into him. The combination of pain and blood loss was too much for her and she passed out into his arms. When she next looked at him he was not the Tsukune she knew.

The corruption was spreading across his body, starting at his neck and moving across his face and downward. Wilhelmina felt a heavy sadness settle in her heart then a firm resolve. The worst had happened. Tsukune had become a ghoul. And as the one that turned him it was her responsibility to be the one to kill him. Their friends showed up soon after and Yukari shut off the water. As soon as her powers returned, Wilhelmina set about ridding the world of the ghoul before it got loose.

She had been so close. Ignoring the protests of her friends and her own shattering heart, Wilhelmina prepared for the killing blow when she was suddenly restrained. Looking back on it now she could see what Ruby and the Chairman were trying to do. But something had happened. Something had set Tsukune off. Because as soon as she was captured he dogged the Chairman's attack that was meant to bind him. Tsukune began slowly backing up. Reacting like a cornered animal, he turned and bolted away from the dilapidated building.

The Chairman went after him while Ruby stayed and helped clean up. For weeks after that nobody heard anything. After a month had gone by the Chairman finally returned to the school but Tsukune had not. When the Newspaper Club pressured him for answers he told them that he had been tracking Tsukune in the Boarder Lands when he lost him. He told them the chances weren't high but he would still continue to look for him. It was another month before they heard anything else. And it was in the form of a news story. "Beast of the Boarder Lands Terrorizes Yōkai Academy." Everyone immediately knew it was Tsukune. The attacks came sporadically and usually left the victim drained of blood and half eaten.

They ran the stories until the end of the year when the Chairman finally called them into his office on the last day of school. Tsukune was dead. He had finally been tracked down by Sanctuary and put to death. Moka had dropped to her knees and cried. After everything they had been through, telling each other they would see him again, believing he was still alive, believing he would one day come back to them, the cold hard truth had finally slapped them in the face. Tsukune was gone forever.

A small memorial was held in the human world at the Witch's Knoll, as it was the only place in the human world they had ever been with Tsukune. There wasn't a single dry eye at the ceremony. Moka was trying so hard to keep her composure but in the end she couldn't. She broke down into a fit of sobs that never seemed to stop, even when Kurumu tried to comfort her. Wilhelmina suffered as well, but she preferred to suffer in silence during the day. Only at night, when Moka was asleep, did she allow herself to shed tears for the boy she had come to love.

The years went by and the group of friends soon came to terms with their grief and moved on with their lives. But last nights events threatened to reawaken old wounds and arouse quite a few questions. And she had quite a few of them. But the most important question of all weighted heavily on her mind: should she tell Moka. She could, but would Moka believe her? To the pink-haired vampire it would only be seen as a dream. A very real, heart tearing dream. So against her better judgment, she would keep quite. At least for now. When she had a better understanding as to just what was going on, then she would act.

"Okay," Moka said, breaking her concentration. "Looking good."

Her other self was putting the finishing touches on her outfit. Today was the day that Yukari was coming to visit. Apparently the young witch had a surprise for them but wouldn't say what. Wilhelmina fondly remembered the antics of the little witch back during high school. True she was too clingy and could be annoying as hell at times, but she was a dedicated friend and a powerful ally when needed. Her infatuation for Moka and herself never really went away over the years but it had toned down a lot.

Much of that was due to the fact that she lost Tsukune. Apparently the witch's feelings for the boy ran deeper than just a childish crush, as everybody else had thought. She would still latch onto Moka every day but it was never as energetic as it used to be. Yukari tried so hard during those sad years to be the bright, optimistic one of the group. It worked to some extent but everyone could still see how much she hurt.

Once everyone had graduated, Yukari had left. She took the first university offer she was presented with and ended up in America. Moka heard from her off and on but the only time she was seen was when they all gathered to visit Tsukune's grave. She finished college in record time and took a teaching position not long after. For all intents and purposes, Yukari seemed happy. This made Wilhelmina wonder about the surprise she had in store for Moka and them. She couldn't even begin to wonder what it was; the young witch could be as random as a shrine's fortune drawing.

The trip from the apartment complex to the airport was a long one and Moka and Kurumu kept themselves occupied by talking about their memories at Yōkai Academy. Wilhelmina, on the other hand, tuned the two women out and concentrated on Tsukune's nighttime visit. From what she remembered before Moka's vision became blurred by tears, Tsukune didn't appear to be wearing a holy seal of any kind. But he was able to suppress his demonic aura and approach Moka without her sensing him. More importantly he had erased Moka's memory with magic. These were not spells that one learned over night. They took years of practice and tutelage. Someone had to be teaching him. That meant Tsukune had been alive the entire time. The question now was, when did he regain his humanity and how?

Her thoughts were once again interrupted when Moka's body was nearly sent to the floor. Wilhelmina smiled. Yukari had arrived. Deciding to put her questions on the back burner for now, Wilhelmina watched as Moka and Kurumu had their joyful reunion with Yukari.

---------------

"Let go of by boob you flat-chested little twerp!"

Kurumu shouted loud enough for half of the people in the terminal to stop and look her way, most of them wearing a look of shock on their faces. Moka's face turned slightly pink and she turned back to the two women, trying to ignore the stares everyone was giving her.

"Ha! You can't call me that anymore, you airhead! I'm a C-cup now!" Yukari proudly stuck out her chest to emphasize her point.

Kurumu turned red with anger and grabbed one of Yukari's boobs and squeezed. "_You_ can't call me an airhead anymore! I graduated high school and college. So there!"

Yukari laughed and squeezed harder, which was difficult to do given Kurumu's breast size. "And became what? A gym teacher!? Pathetic! At least Moka became an academics teacher. That job requires you have your brain in your head, not in your chest!"

Kurumu snarled and leapt back, magic power flowing into her hands. "That's it! I'm gonna kick your ass all over this airport!"

The witch smiled and readied herself. "Hit the nail on the head, did I? Fine then, bring it on!"

Moka started to panic. She had to find a way to diffuse the situation before they destroyed half the airport. She started to reach for Yukari when a man came up behind the witch and wrapped his arms around her.

"Why'd you run off like that, Yukari? I had to carry all the luggage. That's not easy, you know."

Yukari immediately turned away from Kurumu and smiled really big. "I'm sorry, Kevin," she said, throwing her arms around him. "I was just so excited about seeing my friends again."

Moka and Kurumu looked at each other then at the embracing couple. "Do you know what's going on?" the succubus asked.

Moka simply shook her head. "Um, Yukari? Who's this?"

The witch broke the embrace but didn't let go of the man. She giggled like a school girl and never lost her smile. "This is my surprise."

The succubus and vampire looked at her with blank expressions. "Huh?"

Yukari giggled again and gave the black-haired man a slight nudge forward. "Go on, introduce yourself."

The man looked embarrassed as he stepped forwarded. He cleared his throat and slightly bowed. "Hello," he said in fluent Japanese. "I'm Kevin O'Reilly, Yukari's fiancé."

Moka and Kurumu stared with mouths open as Yukari held up her right hand to display a gold engagement ring with three diamonds on it.

It took them a full minute before they recovered enough to shout, _"What!?"_

---------------

"So you and Kevin met through school, huh?"

Moka looked at the couple sitting across from her and Kurumu. Kevin had his arm round Yukari and was playing with a strand of her short hair. The four of them had stopped off at a nearby diner to get some lunch. Airline food, according to Yukari, was as fulfilling as a small candy bar.

"That's right," the witch said, scooting closer to her fiancé. She was enjoying the attention she was getting. "Kevin is one of my brightest students. He's had me as a professor for just about every class he's ever taken for the past seven years."

Kurumu looked between the two. "An open relationship between a teacher and a student? Isn't that kind of thing frowned upon?"

"I suppose," Kevin said, taking a sip of his drink. "But I'm not too worried about it. Hell, I've got a friend who married his Language Arts professor last year and he's still in school."

As Moka talked with the couple, Kurumu carefully studied the man sitting across from her. He was tall, close to six foot. His skin was lightly tanned and his face was round and boyish. His hazel eyes would completely focus on anyone he was talking to and stay on Yukari when she demanded his attention. Kurumu considered herself an excellent judge of character when it came to men. Part of the reason she never dated was because she knew that when a man looked at her, all he saw was a chance to get laid. Kurumu didn't want that. She wanted a meaningful relationship. She wanted to be seen as a woman, not a sex object.

She almost laughed out loud at her own contradicting thought. She was a succubus. Succubi by their nature were the very definition of sex and lust. What Kurumu wanted was seen as nothing but a dream by her race. But her dream had come true. Tsukune had fulfilled her secrete desire, he saw her as a woman first, not some object to be used then thrown away. Since his death she had been unable to find anyone else like that. Kurumu was beginning to wonder if Tsukune was a once in a lifetime opportunity that was violently snatched from her grasp.

She was jerked from her thoughts when she realized that Yukari was talking to her. "Huh? What?"

"I said have you heard from Mizore?"

"Oh, yeah, I have. She called before we came to get you. Said she was already up there. She'd have things set up by the time we arrived."

"And Ruby?"

Moka shook her head. "She won't be coming again this year. Too much work she says."

Kurumu folded her arms with a huff. "She uses that excuse every year. She can't be working that much."

Kevin looked between the three women. "Is something going on, Yukari? Did I ask to come at a bad time?"

"You mean you haven't told him?" Moka asked, perplexed.

"I meant to," the witch said, rushing to defend herself. "I just forgot. With all the excitement of seeing you guys again and introducing Kevin to you, it slipped my mind."

"Told me what?"

Yukari looked at the two women, silently asking permission. Moka and Kurumu both nodded after a brief moment of silence.

"We're going to a memorial, Kevin." She started out slow, carefully choosing her words. "A very dear friend to all of us died close to the end of our first high school year. We're going to visit the private grave we set up for him." Yukari reached out and took his hand. "And I'd like you to come with us."

The other two women were shocked. "What?"

"I want to introduce him to Tsukune," she said defensively. "I want to show Tsukune that even though I still love him, I've moved on and that I'm happy."

"Yukari," Kevin said. "I appreciate the thought, but if this is a private affair between the three of you, then I don't want to intrude on it."

"But, Kevin..." Yukari started to protest.

The American slowly shook his head. "It's all right. I'll go to the hotel and wait for you there. Take as long as you need with your friends. I'm sure I can find something to keep me occupied until you get back."

Yukari wrapped her arms around him. "Thank you for being so understanding."

Kevin smiled and pat her head affectionately. "You're welcome. Well then, I believe I've wasted enough of your time. How about I get everyone a cab so you can make any last preparations you need?"

The girls all agreed when they realized how late it had gotten. As they exited the airport, Kevin raised his arm and let out a sharp whistle, prompting a nearby cab to pull up next to them. Moka looked at his wrist when something metal caught the fading rays of sunlight and reflected them into her eyes. When she saw the bracelet she felt her entire body go cold. It was just like the one Hokuto, the leader of ANTI-THESIS, had worn. When Kevin turned around to help Yukari with her bags he noticed Moka staring at his wrist. He held it up and looked at the bracelet.

"Do you like it?"

"Huh?"

"My bracelet. Do you like it?"

"Oh, no. I mean yes! I mean, it looked familiar to me. I knew a person who had one just like it in school."

"Really? Was he Catholic like me?"

"You're Catholic?"

"I am. I just find it easier to wear this instead of carrying around a rosary all the time. This wont be a problem, will it?"

Moka shook her head. "Oh no, not at all. I was just surprised is all. Yukari never said anything about it in her e-mails."

"Moka! Hurry up!" Kurumu yelled from the cab, waving at her impatiently.

The vampire quickly climbed inside and Kevin closed the door. He waved until they were out of sight then hailed his own cab. He got inside and gave directions to the hotel he was staying at. He then pulled out his cell phone and dialed a number. After three rings it picked up.

"Yes?"

"Target confirmed," Kevin said in English. "How are the Brothers?"

"Ready to move on your order. Shall we bring all of them?"

"Yes. I don't want to take any chances. We lost many good Brothers while dealing with her father and step-mother. I will not repeat that mistake. What of her sisters?"

There was a pause. "The two eldest have been dealt with. Our informant within Sanctuary was very helpful. But the youngest managed to escape somehow. I have a team tracking her down right now."

Kevin frowned. "Make sure they find her quickly. We can't have her running off to warn her sister and her friends."

"Are they all together?"

"All but two, the werewolf and the second witch. The rest will be together. Make sure you bring the appropriate countermeasures."

"Understood. When will we strike?"

Kevin looked at his watch. "Tomorrow evening. My previous scouts informed me that they hold the memorial at sundown. That is when we will move in."

"Understood. Once we eliminate the last Sangreal His Holiness will undoubtedly be most pleased with us. We shall await your arrival tomorrow. Godspeed, Brother."

The line went dead. Kevin put away his phone and leaned back with a smile on his face. They were so close now. After nearly two millennia of searching their bitter war with the Sangreal vampires would come to an end. And after they were dead the Vatican would sweep across the world and eradicate every single monster on Earth. Not even the last two Hell-Kings would be able to stop them. Unfortunately there was one piece of the puzzle that they were unable to procure with Marias Sangreal's death: the Rosario of War. Their informant had been wrong, the artifact had not been on his body or anywhere in his castle home. Although Kevin did have a theory on were it was.

"Out in the open the entire time and no one knew it. Not even her."

Sighing, he paid the cab fair when it stopped in front of his hotel and hurried up to his room. He wanted to get some rest. He and his Brothers had a busy day tomorrow. A busy day indeed.

---------------

Mizore waved at Moka and her friends as they piled out of the cab and grabbed their luggage. The pink-haired vampire immediately dropped her overnight bag and ran up to the snow woman, pulling her into a hug. Yukari and Kurumu joined them, each greeting their super-shy best friend.

"Where have you been, Mizore?" Moka asked as they walked inside. "I hardly hear from you anymore."

"Work," she said, expertly speaking around her lollipop. "I get a lot of requests so I'm usually very busy. I'm lucky enough to get time off to come here every year."

"So it's true that you're a private investigator?" Yukari asked, throwing her own overnight bag in her room and shutting the door.

Mizore nodded. "Best one in all of Hokkaido."

"Well it's no wonder," said Kurumu as she plopped down on the couch. "As much as you stalked Tsukune it's obvious you chose that lifestyle."

"Maybe so, but at least I had skills that could be applied to real world use. If you hadn't become a teacher the only other profession you could've done was prostitution."

Kurumu visibly twitched. "Watch it, stalker-girl.

"Or what?" Mizore's ice claws were already forming on her hands.

Kurumu jumped to her feet, nails elongating into claws and her tail twitching. Her wings were just starting to form when Moka jumped between the two, her hand on her rosario.

"Stop it," she said in a low threatening tone, "or I'll pull it off."

Mizore and Kurumu realized that the vampire was not joking and backed off, returning to their human forms. The succubus mumbled an excuse to leave and went to her room, Mizore doing the same. Moka released a breath and sank into a nearby chair. Those two would never grow up it seemed.

"You okay, Moka?"

The vampire looked up to see Yukari standing over her, a concerned look on her face. She simply smiled and nodded.

"I'm fine, Yukari. Those two can just be such a handful sometimes. I really don't like to use my other self to settle their arguments but sometimes I don't have much of a choice."

Yukari nodded in sympathy. When Moka had to remove her rosario it didn't come without drawbacks. She always felt extremely tired afterwards and it took an hour or two of sleep and an infusion of blood to get her at one hundred percent again.

Moka absently played with her rosario, lifting it off her chest and letting it fall back down. Before, such a threat would've made the girls laugh, but after Tsukune's disappearance, it no longer became a laughing matter. When Hokuto Kaneshiro had attempted to bring down the barrier separating the Boarder Lands from the human world, Moka had to forcefully remove her rosario in order to stop him.

The magical backlash she suffered from removing the seal herself had put her in the infirmary for almost a week. It was during that time that the Chairman had come to her telling her that, as a Hell-King, he could temporary alter the rosario's seal, enabling her to remove it at will if she wished it. But only once. She would have to get her father to make it permanent. Moka had been ready to tell him no outright but he reminded her that without Tsukune there to remove it for her, the violent nature of the school could put her and her friends in greater danger than before.

After talking with her other self she agreed to the Chairman's proposal. And not a moment too soon. When the cultural festival arrived the school was presented with another threat to its safety. Hitomi Ishigami, the former art teacher, showed back up and using the Lilith Mirror unleashed a wave of destruction on the school. Thanks to Moka's new ability to remove the rosario herself, she and her friends stopped the crazed gorgon before the entire school was destroyed.

After being sent home until the beginning of the second semester, Moka had made a short trip to her father's castle to ask King Marias to alter her seal permanently. The Hell-King had inquired to his daughter's sudden change of heart but all she could tell him without breaking down into tears was that things had changed.

Second and third years came and went and Moka was glad she had decided to alter the seal. The Newspaper Club had its share of troubles and it was largely thanks to Moka that they had come through alive and together. After school had ended, she had pondered going back to her father and have him alter the seal again, but she decided not to. Just because she was going to the human world didn't mean that her troubles would be over with. So, to be on the safe side, she had left the seal alone.

Fortunately she never did have to remove it as there were very few monsters living in the human world who wanted to pick a fight with her.

Moka reached into her pocket and removed her cell when it started going off, pulling her from her memories.

"Hello?"

"Sister! Thank god it's you!" Kokoa Shuzen screamed into her receiver.

Moka blinked. "Kokoa? How did you get my--"

"Where are you!?"

Moka started to get worried. Kokoa sounded scared and panicked. "I'm at Witch's Knoll, why?"

"Stay there, don't leave! You can't leave, they'll get you too!"

"Who'll get me? You're not making any sense, Kokoa."

"Them! They came to the castle while father was away. Said they were from Sanctuary. Said we needed to come with them. Then they...then they...oh god!"

By now Kokoa's voice was so wracked with emotion that Moka could barely understand her. After getting Kokoa to calm down some, Moka told her to start from the beginning.

"There's no time," Kokoa said urgently. "They're still chasing me."

Moka tried to keep herself calm but she could feel herself start to panic as well. "Who's chasing you? What happened to our sisters?"

"They're gone!" Kokoa said in a burst of sobs. "Big Sister Kahlua and Big Sister Bailey...they're--"

The line went dead.

"Kokoa? Kokoa, are you there? Kokoa!"

"What's wrong, Moka?" Kurumu came out of her room when she heard Moka start to shout into the phone. Mizore followed not far behind her.

"My sister Kokoa just called me. She sounded scared."

"Scared?" Kurumu huffed. "Ha! The only thing that scared that little twerp was her sister." The succubus trembled, remembering what Kahlua had done to all of them at the snow woman's village.

Moka nodded. "I know, but she sounded really frightened. And she said something happened to our sisters. Something bad from the way she was acting."

"Want me to find out?"

The vampire turned to Mizore. "You could do that for me?"

The snow woman nodded. "Sure. I have lots of contacts in the human and monster world. One of the many perks of being a private eye. Let me make a few calls. I should know something by tomorrow evening at the latest."

Moka came over and gave the other woman a hug. "Thank you, Mizore. I'd do it myself but we can't leave here until the day after tomorrow so..."

"No problem," she said. "And there's no need to thank me. I don't mind at all."

"Okay. When will you call?"

"Tomorrow," she said, turning to her room. "It's too late in the evening now. Best get some sleep."

Kurumu nodded. "She's got a point. I'm beat. And who knows, maybe it was nothing at all. Maybe she came home, found the place empty and panicked."

"Maybe," Moka agreed but didn't quite believe it herself.

Telling the others goodnight she went to her room and closed the door. She dressed in her night cloths and climbed into bed, pulling the covers up to her chin.

_I wish you were here, Tsukune. You always made me feel better._

That last thought going through her head, Moka closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep.

(End Part Three)

---------------

Author's Rant: Thank you all for the reviews. Keep them coming. The more you review, the faster I type. I hope this chapter grabbed your interests and leaves you begging for more. See you next chapter.


	4. Human Monster

I do not own Rosario+Vampire; it was created by Akihisa Ikeda. The characters are being borrowed without permission for entertainment purposes only. However, any characters I create are my own. So don't sue me, you won't get much anyhow. I will be using elements from both manga and anime.

Thank you for reading, C&C is welcome.

* * *

Thicker than Water

Part Four: Human Monster

By: Anime Otaku

* * *

Something wasn't right and Tsukune knew it. In the span of almost two weeks four super-strong vampires had been killed. Moka's two eldest sisters had been found in an old Sanctuary safe house, both women decapitated and the building burned out. That shouldn't have happened. It was bad enough that King Marias and his wife were dead, but his daughters? No, something was very wrong. Tsukune had the files on the two eldest daughters so he knew that there was no way in hell that they should have been killed. Kahlua was a master assassin and with her limiter removed was damn near unbeatable. The eldest sister, Bailey Shuzen, may not have the skills of Kahlua but she was no slouch when it came to the art of killing either.

Tsukune looked over the photos of both killings. There was something that linked the two together, he just knew it. It was the same MO, that much was known, but there had to be more. It was pulled of too easily, to cleanly. Four vampires dead. More importantly, four vampires that excelled at killing. Yet there was not a single body other than the deceased. Whoever these people were, they weren't Inquisitors. At least not the kind that Sanctuary had ever dealt with in the past. He needed more information.

Tsukune's laptop started beeping and he turned away from the photos. Reika was calling him for a video conference. He connected the call and the blond woman's face appeared on the screen.

"Hey, Reika," he said. "Helping out with the Intelligence Bureau today?"

"We're severely undermanned. Ever since news of Kahlua and Bailey Shuzen's death reached the director, everyone here's been running around like chickens with their heads cut off. It's pure pandemonium."

Tsukune could understand. This had to be the biggest blunder in Sanctuary's history. "What about the youngest Shuzen? Kokoa?"

The blond shook her head. "She's still in the wind. We've got teams searching every inch of Japan but still nothing."

"I see. So, was there something you needed me for?"

"Yes, there is." The human woman's video image shrunk and moved to the bottom of Tsukune's screen. Ten photos of different men appeared on the screen. "These were sent to us anonymously on a memory stick this morning. No note, no name, nothing. Intelligence has its hands full tracking down Kokoa Shuzen so I though you might be able to help. You have quite the eye for details so maybe there's something you can see that we would miss."

"You do realize that I have a shift change in two hours? I have to leave early as is since Moka is out at Witch's Knoll."

"I realize that, Tsukune. But I would still like you to look over the photos. We think these men are somehow connected with the king and his daughter's deaths. We just don't know how."

Tsukune sighed and focused on the laptop screen. "Okay, lemme take a look."

He carefully studied the images. There was nothing really abnormal about the men, they were all average in their own way. From looking at them, Tsukune could tell they were not from Japan, most likely America or Europe. He also noticed that all ten of them had entered the country from ten different airports. Looking closer he also noticed that they all had the same luggage bag, except for one. Each photo was also stamped with a date, time and location. He felt a shiver go down his back. They had all entered Japan at least a day or two after the death of Marias Sangreal. The last one arrived twenty-four hours after the daughters were attacked.

"Find anything, Tsukune?" Reika asked.

"Many, many things," he muttered. "And none of them good. I think these men might be Inquisitors. More importantly, the ones who killed Marias Sangreal and his daughters."

Reika sighed. "I was hoping you weren't going to say that. Anything else?"

Tsukune looked closer. "Maybe. Reika, can you zoom in on each man's hand that has a passport in it."

"Sure thing."

The images zoomed in and Tsukune went ridged. "There. Do you see what I see?"

"I do. They're wearing spirit chains, all of them."

"This is not good. I think I'm beginning to understand how the Inquisitors were able to take down four super-vampires. We're not just dealing with humans; we're dealing with human monsters."

"I thought the Vatican had shut that project down long ago."

"Apparently not. What better way to kill your enemy than to create one of your own that you could control."

"So, what now?"

"Don't know," said Tsukune as he pulled on a pumpkin-orange dress shirt and black tie. "All I can advise is to find Kokoa Shuzen as fast as possible."

"Working on it, Tsukune. Working on it."

Tsukune was reaching for his jacket when something caught his eye. "Reika, that last photo. Is it as large as it can be?"

"Um, no. Hold on."

The picture of the black-haired man enlarged and Tsukune felt his blood turn to ice. Yukari was holding him around the waist while Kurumu and Moka were looking on in shock.

"Oh shit. Reika, call Ruby. Tell her to stay at the knoll and that I'm on my way."

"Tsukune, what...?"

"Just do it!"

Tsukune was out the door before Reika could reply.

---------------

Kokoa Shuzen forced her legs to move faster when she felt another bullet whiz past her ear and impact into a small tree in front of her, shattering the bark. She screamed in fear and looked behind her, trying desperately to see who was chasing her. She could hear them but she couldn't see them. Another bullet exploded in the dirt in front of her and she left the path she was on, dashing headlong into the woods. She had no idea where she was but had a vague idea on the direction she was supposed to be going. Though her powers were sealed away, Kokoa could still sense the power from the seal. It was very faint but it was there. All she had to do was keep running towards it and then everything would be okay.

_Where are you, Sister!? I need you!_

They never should have trusted the men who came to Castle Sangreal. Never! Kokoa berate herself for being so trusting and so easily fooled. She should've realized something was wrong when they were taken to the human world and put in a room together. "For your protection," they had said. She knew something was wrong soon after the door was closed. She and her sisters started to become very weak and pain slowly started to spread throughout their bodies. Bailey recognized the danger first. Silver dust was being pumped into the room through the ventilation ducts. Kahlua was unaware of the pain since she was Charmed but she could tell that her sisters were hurting.

Without a second thought she removed one of her limiters and freed them from the room. What met them on the other side was a hail of bullets. Kahlua and Bailey stepped in front of her and took the brunt of the damage. Bailey took her hand and ran while Kahlua stayed behind. She was crying by then. She could hear the screams of the men as they died and caught the scent of blood being shed. Both the human's and Kahlua's. The gunfire finally stopped and multiple footsteps could be heard coming after them. Kokoa began crying harder. Kahlua was dead, she knew it and so did Bailey.

Bailey told her to keep going but she had refused. She was going to stay and help her. One sister was already dead; she didn't want to loose another one. They had no time to argue as the men came around the corner, guns at the ready. She tried to help, she really did. Although she had never taken another life like her sisters had, she believed now she could and that she would feel no remorse for it. She summoned her bat familiar, Kou, and together they went to assist Bailey. Her sister told her to stay away, to run. Kokoa ignored her and dove headlong into the group of humans. Kou transformed into a scythe and Kokoa discovered for the first time her thirst for bloodshed.

She didn't remember much, everything was confusing jumble of sounds and smells. But somehow, in the middle of the rapid gunfire, spilling blood and death screams, Kou was destroyed, split in half by a human's combat knife. Then somebody started to scream, louder than anyone there. When Kokoa realized it was her, something erupted inside her. All at once she felt an enormous amount of power surge within her and everything turned red. Then she felt a stabbing pain in her side. When she came back to her senses, Bailey was in front of her, blood dripping from her mouth. That was when she noticed two things. Her hand was impaling Bailey through the chest and her sister had stabbed her in the side with a knife, a knife made of pure silver. Bailey broke the handle off and shoved Kokoa away from her, telling her to run.

What choice did she have? She ran. She had stopped long enough in the city to call her sister and warn her before they found her again. Now she was in the woods, tired, bleeding and in more pain than she ever received from a sparring match with her sister. The knife blade in her side burned like white-hot flame and it was spreading like wildfire through her body. Stumbling, Kokoa fell down a small ravine and slammed into a pile of rocks at the bottom. She brought a hand to her mouth and bit down to stop herself from screaming.

Kokoa forced herself to be absolutely still. She held her breath, listening to the footfalls as they ran by. She released her breath when she couldn't hear them anymore. Sitting up, Kokoa pulled her knees close to her body and rested her head on them, silver hair falling around her face like a curtain. She began to cry softly, tears falling from her blood-red eyes to land in the dirt.

After an unknown amount of time, Kokoa forced herself to stop crying. Listening very carefully, she made sure that none of the humans chasing her were nearby. She pushed herself to her feet and felt her body protest the movement as pain washed over her. She ignored it, climbing out of the ravine and back onto the road. The sun was almost gone and her vision would be slightly impaired. Of course, if it wasn't for the knife in her side, walking around in the woods at night wouldn't be a problem.

"Stop it, Kokoa!" she whispered to herself. "Just stop it. All you have to do it get to your sister and everything will be fine."

Despite the effect the silver knife was having on her, she could still sense the power from the seal quite well. Fighting through the pain, Kokoa forced herself to start moving forward again.

She felt the pain before the echo of the gunshot had reached her ears. Kokoa screamed and fell, her right leg erupted in pain and blood flowed from the bullet hole.

"I found her!" she heard one shout.

Kokoa was soon surrounded by three men, all dressed in black. They had their guns pointed at her and she could practically feel the hate coming off them. She tried to intimidate them by baring her fangs, but she was sure that in her present state it didn't do much. One of the men came forwarded and kicked her in the stomach. Kokoa doubled over in pain but refused to scream. She wouldn't give them the satisfaction.

The one that kicked her pressed the muzzle of his gun to her forehead. "Do us all a favor and die, vampire."

Kokoa couldn't stop herself. She closed her eyes and waited for the end. It never came. Instead she heard yelling and the smell of blood being spilled. When she opened her eyes one of the humans was dead, his throat torn open, and the other two were shooting wildly into the forest. The humans couldn't see it, but Kokoa could. An orange and black blur was dodging between the trees, circling around behind the last two.

The blur landed between Kokoa and the humans. The vampire was surprised to see that it was another human and watched in amazement, and a little fear, as her savior grabbed one human and twisted his neck completely around. She flinched at the sound of cracking bone. She watched him grab the other one and it turned around, knocked the gun from its hands, and latched onto his neck. Kokoa felt it then, the power her savior was radiating. It was the power of a vampire, but at the same time it wasn't. She watched the human struggle in her savior's grip the go completely limp. He tossed the drained human to the ground then turned to her.

"Kokoa Shuzen?"

His voice was pleasant, much better than the hate-filled voices of the humans who had tried to kill her. She pushed those thoughts aside and answered him. "Y-yes."

The vampire, or whatever he was, held out his hand to her. She looked at it skeptically then slowly placed her hand in his. He carefully helped her to her feet. "Don't move," he said, and then knelt in front of her.

Kokoa suppressed a shiver as his fingers lightly ran over her leg, moving aside her tattered skirt and examining her injury.

"You're lucky," he said. "The bullet went straight through. At worst you'll have a nasty rash for a couple of days."

"Lucky!?" she said, pointing to her side. "Does this look _lucky_ to you?"

The vampire looked at her side and winced. "Oh. Didn't see that." He ripped away the fabric from around her midsection. Kokoa silently protested. That was her favorite blouse! "Knife wound," he mumbled. "And the blade is still in you. Who stabbed you?"

Kokoa looked down with a deep sadness in her eyes. "My sister, Bailey."

"I see. What are you doing out here, anyway?"

"I have to get to Witch's Knoll," she said, slowly moving forward again. "I've got to get to my sister; more of those men are on the way."

The vampire was suddenly in front of her, grabbing her by the shoulders. "How many!?"

Kokoa flinched at the sudden jar he have her body. His blood-red eyes were filled with worry and his handsome face held a deep frown, some of his brown and silver hair falling into his eyes. The black tattoo on his face and neck seemed to enhance his beauty and Kokoa couldn't help but let out a little sigh.

"Focus!" he said, bringing her back to reality. "How many?!"

She lightly blushed and stammered, "I d-don't know. I just heard them saying that Witch's Knoll was their last stop."

"Fuck! Moka!"

"You know my sister?!"

He didn't answer. Instead he picked her up bridle style and took off into the woods. "Hold on!"

The trees flew past them in a blur and Kokoa could feel them getting closer to her sister. "Hey!" she shouted in his ear. "Who are you? How do you know my sister?"

"My name is Tsukune Aono," he said, never slowing down. "I'm with Sanctuary and your sister is about to die!"

Kokoa felt her heart freeze then started screaming.

---------------

"It's beautiful, isn't it, Moka?"

The pink-haired vampire nodded. "Yeah. Tsukune always loved this time of day. I can see why."

The sun was setting over the field of sunflowers, their yellow and brown colors blending in with the darkening sky. Yukari and Moka were on top of a small hill that overlooked the entire field. This was the spot where they would all get together and remember their time with Tsukune. It was a time filled with good memories and a little sadness but they had each other to turn to if it became too much.

"Is everything ready?" Kurumu asked, coming up to stand beside the two women.

"Almost," said Yukari. "We're just waiting on Mizore. Where is she anyway?"

Kurumu jerked a thumb in the direction of the cabin. "On her phone. She got a call as I was walking out the door."

Moka nodded. "I see. I guess work even follows her out here."

"Should we start without her?"

"No. We start when everyone is here."

Kurumu was about to make the argument that everyone was there when Mizore came running up to them. "Moka!" she yelled, grabbing the vampire by the shoulders. "Moka, it's your sisters! I found out what happened to them!"

Moka felt her heart stop beating. "What is it?! What happened? Are they okay?"

Mizore shook her head. "They're dead! Not only that, but you father and step-mother, both of them are also--"

"Dead."

The four women turned around.

"Kevin?" Yukari stared wide-eyed at her fiancé. "What are you doing here?"

A cruel smile spread across his face and he pointed at Moka. "I'm here for her." Suddenly five men wearing black tactical gear and cloths appeared from the nearby forest and surrounded them, all pointing guns at the four women. "Wilhelmina Sangreal, by order of His Holiness, Pope Benedict XVI, you are to be put to the death. Surrender and die."

Yukari starting trembling. "Kevin, what are you saying?"

"He's an Inquisitor." Mizore jumped in front of Moka, her ice claws forming. "They all are!"

"How very perceptive, Miss Shirayuki. But not enough to save you and your friends."

Kevin became a dark blur, launching a swift kick to Mizore's solar plexus. The snow woman's breath left her and her lollipop fell from her mouth. The Inquisitor grabbed her by the throat and forced a small red ball in her mouth. He then ripped off Mizore's pouch that held her replacement lollipops and threw the plum-haired woman to the ground. The second she hit the dirt, Mizore started screaming as fire erupted throughout her body.

"Mizore!" Moka reached out to help her friend and pulled her hands back with a yell when she touched her. Her whole body was burning up. Her ice claws hand melted back to human hands and her clothes were soaked with sweat. "What did you do to her?!"

"Ever heard of an Atomic Fireball?" Kevin asked, casually tossing the snow woman's pouch to the ground. "It's an American candy made of cinnamon. Same concept except mine is more like a portable sun. It should melt her in about an hour or so."

"You bastard!" Kurumu raged, her wings and claws appearing. "I'll kill you all!"

Kevin looked unafraid as the succubus lunged at him. He didn't even flinch when a hiss of air passed inches by his ear. Kurumu stopped dead in her tracks when a dart appeared in her neck. She pulled the projectile from her body and was ready to charge again when her whole body shook and she fell to her knees. She began breathing heavily and her claws retracted.

"Wha...what did...you d-do...to...me...?" Kurumu's body began to heat up and she felt herself becoming wet.

"An aphrodisiac made especially for succubi." Kevin nudged Kurumu with his foot and she fell to the side. "So, how does it feel to have your own lust and sexual desire turned against you for a change?"

Kurumu didn't answer him. The drug took full affect and she gave in to it. Unashamed, she rolled onto her back and pulled her pants and panties down to her ankles, sliding two fingers inside her wet core. Kurumu cried out in pleasure while the other hand pulled up her shirt and bra. She started massaging her large breast, moving her fingers up to pinch and roll her nipple.

"Kurumu! What are you doing!?" Yukari yelled.

"C-can't...h-help it... Feels...so...gooood..." the succubus moaned.

The witch turned back to her fiancé, hate and loathing erupting in her eyes. "How could you do this?! I thought you loved me!"

"Oh believe me, Yukari dear, I did love you. Just not the kind you expected. I loved the fact that you were best friends with my target. It made it so much easier to track her down."

Yukari looked as if she had been slapped. With tears in her eyes she stepped in front of Moka and brought her hands up. As most witches do, she had long ago reached the point as to where she no longer needed a wand to access her magic power. Standing between her friends and the man she thought loved her, Yukari tried to focus on protecting her friends and not the aching betrayal she felt in her heart.

"What's the matter, Yukari dear?" Kevin said in a mocking tone. "Can't bring yourself to hurt me? Pathetic! I should've expected as much from a dirty little witch!"

That insult pushed her over the edge. Summoning her power, Yukari intended to use enough to blast Kevin and those with him into atoms. It never happened. The ring on her finger began to glow and she felt pain erupt throughout her body. The witch screamed and fell to the ground, small whiffs of smoke rising from her body.

"And then there were none," he said. "Nobody left to save you now, vampire."

Moka trembled in fear. All her friends were hurt, and all because they were trying to protect her. She was powerless. There was nothing she could do. Nothing.

_Help me, Tsukune!_ She silently screamed.

_"Fool!"_ Wilhelmina screamed. _"Take off the rosario! Hurry! Or we'll both die!"_

"Oh!" She looked down at the glowing cross. "The seal. I forgot."

Moka reached for the silver cross that hung from her neck.

"Oh no you don't!" Kevin moved swiftly again and delivered a powerful high kick to Moka's chin. Her head snapped back and she landed several feet away. "Restrain her!" he barked to his men.

Two of the men dragged the semi-conscious vampire to her knees and held onto her arms while another one grabbed a fistful of pink hair and yanked her head back. He produced a small syringe and stuck it in her neck, injecting its contents into her. Moka began to scream in pain as liquid fire spread through her body. Kevin pushed his black long-coat aside and drew a pistol from a leg holster. He walked up to Moka and put the barrel to her forehead.

"Before you die, vampire, I want to introduce you to a personal friend of mine." He moved the gun so Moka could see it. It was a stainless-steel Desert Eagle with an ivory grip and a Catholic cross inlaid into the grips. "This is the Gospel. I've killed many a vampire with this weapon. Your father and step-mother included. It's loaded with a special bullet that can dispel any kind of barrier or demonic aura you kind can create. As an added plus the bullet also has silver nitrate in it, the same stuff we just injected you with. Pup enough of that stuff in your bloodstream and you won't live to see another day."

Kevin moved the gun to her heart and clicked the safety off. "Die, vampire!"

"Get away from her!!"

Kevin jumped back just as a black mass landed where he stood seconds before, a small crater appearing beneath its feet. The figure was on his feet in seconds and delivered a powerful roundhouse kick that broke the necks of the three Inquisitors that were restraining Moka. He caught the falling vampire and gently laid her on the ground.

He moved some of Moka's pink hair aside and placed a soft kiss on her forehead. "It's okay now, Moka. I'm here."

"Tsukune..." she whispered before her eyes slid closed.

Standing, Tsukune turned to face the three remaining men and Kevin took a hesitant step back. He could feel the demonic energy radiating off the man in front of him. It was unbelievably cold and powerful. His blood-red eyes were filled with unbridled rage and a vast amount of hunger. When he saw the black lines on his face and neck, recognition dawned in his eyes.

"Tsukune," he growled.

"Hello, Kevin," Tsukune replied in kind. "It's been a while."

"Indeed. Three years ago, Spain, I believe."

"I thought you were dead."

"Same here." Kevin shook his head. "But that is a problem I tend to rectify right now." He shouted to his men. "Kill him! Don't let the ghoul live!"

Tsukune seemed to vanish by the time they brought their guns up. He reappeared behind one of the humans and put him in a chokehold. Grabbing his gun he pointed it at Kevin. The American jumped to the side as Tsukune fired, empting the entire clip of the H&K submachine gun into the other Inquisitor instead. Kevin rolled to his feet as the gun dry fired and pointed the Gospel at Tsukune.

"Die, damn you!" he shouted and fired.

Tsukune twisted his hostage to the side and felt the bullets hit his shield's body. When Kevin's magazine was empty, Tsukune dropped the body and rushed the last Inquisitor. Kevin loaded a clip into his pistol and slammed the chamber home by the time Tsukune made it to him. The gun was knocked from his hands and Tsukune delivered a swift uppercut to his chin, knocking the human back a few steps. Kevin recovered and blocked a knee strike that was aimed at his stomach. He countered with a leg sweep that Tsukune dodged and the ghoul retaliated with a snap kick that missed Kevin's face by inches.

Jumping back from the enraged ghoul, Kevin had the amazing luck to land by his gun. He grabbed the Gospel and pointed it at Tsukune. Before he could squeeze a round off he dogged to the side as multiple razor-sharp blades descended from the sky and slammed into the ground.

"Tsukune!" Ruby shouted from the sky. Her six crow wings were deployed and she held a still injured Kokoa in her arms. "Is everyone okay?"

Kevin swore under his breath. He was outmatched. Tsukune by himself he could handle but with the second witch, Ruby Toujou, here as well, he stood little to no chance. He had to get away before he got killed. Reaching over to a nearby body, he grabbed a flash-bang grenade and pulled the pin.

"This isn't over yet! I will take the lives of every last Sangreal!"

He threw the grenade and ran from the knoll, making sure to cover his ears and close his eyes. The explosive went off and Tsukune howled in pain, his eyes momentarily blinded by the flash. Ruby screamed as well and fell from the sky, landing in a tangled heap with Kokoa on top of her. When his vision came back, Tsukune considered going after the fleeing human, but changed his mind. His friends needed him more.

The damage caused by the Inquisitors was devastating. Kurumu was still moaning in pleasure, her fingers pumping in and out her soaking core. Mizore was curled into a tiny ball and had long ago stopped making any kind of noise, the pain becoming too great. Moka and Yukari remained unconscious and Ruby was helping Kokoa to her feet. As soon as she could stand the youngest Shuzen ran to Moka, crying tears of relief.

Ruby came to stand by Tsukune and put a hand on his shoulder. "You okay?"

He nodded. "Yeah. Dammit! I was too slow! They almost died, Ruby!"

"But they didn't. And they won't. Not if we get them to the safe house in time."

"Can you do it? You've never teleported this many bodies before."

Ruby smiled reassuringly. "I'll be fine. Though you may want to do something about Kurumu. I won't be able to concentrate with her moaning and trashing like that."

"Right."

Tsukune walked over to the succubus and helped her sit up. Kurumu seemed oblivious to his presence, still trying to satisfy her highly aroused body.

"Sorry, Kurumu," Tsukune whispered. He delivered a swift knife strike to the back of her neck and knocked her out. He redressed her best he could and gently placed her on the ground.

Walking over to Moka, he picked the vampire up much to the protests of Kokoa and nodded to Ruby. The witch began muttering a spell and a large magic circle appeared beneath everyone's feet. There was a flash of light and Witch's Knoll was devoid of any life, becoming silent as a graveyard.

(End Part Four)

---------------

Author's Rant: Another chapter down and still more to go. Many thanks once again to my reviewers. And to those who noticed my name for the eldest sister and understood it, I extend major kudos, cuz that's about all I can give. See you next chapter.


	5. Puzzle Pieces

I do not own Rosario+Vampire; it was created by Akihisa Ikeda. The characters are being borrowed without permission for entertainment purposes only. However, any characters I create are my own. So don't sue me, you won't get much anyhow. I will be using elements from both manga and anime.

Thank you for reading, C&C is welcome.

* * *

Thicker than Water

Part Five: Puzzle Pieces

By: Anime Otaku

* * *

Moka's whole body ached. Everything hurt. Her legs, her arms, even her fingers and toes. The slightest of movements made her body twitch in pain, which just hurt more. Even opening her eyes hurt. But she forced herself. She had to know if what she saw was true. She had to see Tsukune again. She gasped at the bright light that greeted her and waited for her vision to clear. Footsteps hurried over to her and a hand gingerly touched her arm.

"Moka?" Kurumu's worried voice reached her ears. "Are you okay?"

"I'm hungry." And it was true. Moka was absolutely famished.

Kurumu nodded. "Alright. Wait here, I'll get you some food."

The succubus started to get up but Moka's hand shot out and grabbed her arm. Using her friend as leverage, Moka pulled herself; inch by agonizing inch, into a sitting position then yanked Kurumu down onto the bed.

"You don't understand," she growled low in her throat. "I'm _hungry_!"

Before her friend could protest, Moka sank her fangs into Kurumu's neck and began to feed. The succubus yelped in pain but let the vampire have her blood. This wasn't the first time Moka had needed Kurumu's help and she wasn't about to say no now. Not after everything they had gone through at Witch's Knoll. After what seemed like forever, Moka finally pulled away from Kurumu's throat and sighed in pleasure.

"Thank you, Kurumu!" she brightly chirped. "I feel so much better now!"

"Sure, no problem." Kurumu rubbed her neck and stood up, wobbling slightly.

Moka hopped out of the bed she was in and followed the succubus down a set of stairs and into a spacious living room. The house they were in was abandoned, a thick layer of dust coated everything and the windows and doors were boarded up, with only the faintest streams of sunlight seeping through the cracks.

"Where are we?" Moka asked as she sat on a couch that had seen better days, the frame groaning underneath her weight.

Kurumu shrugged. "Some old house out in the middle of nowhere. Ruby told us we'd be safe as long as we stayed here."

"Ruby's here...? Oh!"

Then she remembered. The attack at Witch's Knoll. Mizore and Yukari had been hurt! She had tried to help them but all she remembered after that was the feeling of fire spreading throughout her body. But through the haze of pain she remembered something else. A face. A face she knew and would never forget.

"Where's Tsukune?!"

"Huh?"

"Tsukune, where is he?! He was there, at the knoll! He saved us, I know he did! I saw him!"

Kurumu looked away. "I know you did. So did I."

Moka's heartbeat sped up and she leaned forward on the couch, daring to hope. "Then...then he's here? Right now?"

The succubus could only shrug. "I don't know. We've been here a week and none of us have seen him at all. I'm beginning to wonder if it was all some sort of weird dream."

Moka covered her ears and violently shook her head. "_No!_ I refuse to believe it! He was there! I saw him! I _felt_ him!"

As Kurumu tried to comfort a crying Moka, Ruby watched from a nearby hallway, anger rising inside her. Tsukune, the coward, had been avoiding the house ever since he sent them here almost a week ago. He would only come back long enough to sleep then he was gone again. It was severally starting to piss Ruby off. Her cell phone had mysteriously disappeared along with everyone else's and without her crow familiars, she would never be able to find him. It was if he had vanished off the face of the Earth.

Ruby laughed to herself at the notion. Tsukune was good at disappearing, but not that good. She eventually found him sooner than later. Although she had to admit that this time he was being especially careful. As she rounded a corner she bumped into a still fully transformed Kokoa. The vampire looked at Ruby and thinly smiled.

"G'morning, Ruby."

"Hey, Kokoa. How do you feel?"

She shrugged. "Better, I suppose. I just wish I could change my cloths." Kokoa picked at her dirty and tattered attire to emphasize her point.

Ruby nodded in understanding, her own cloths starting to show signs of too much use. A wash in the nearby stream with nothing but soap could only go so far.

"Is sister awake yet?"

Ruby looked back down the hall then back to Kokoa. "Yeah, she is. Why don't you go and see her. It might lift her spirits a little to see you."

Kokoa immediately brightened and she ran down the hall, throwing a "Thank you" over her shoulder. Ruby watched her go in amusement. It was hard to believe that just a week ago Kokoa and Mizore had been on the verge of death.

After teleporting them to the safe house, Tsukune immediately put Moka in his room and grabbed Mizore, taking her to the bathroom. He stripped her of her cloths and filled the tub with cold water. He hollered for Ruby to come in there and had her freeze the water. She had done as he asked but Mizore's overly hot body had begun to melt the ice almost instantly. Tsukune told her to stay there and continue to add water and freeze it. Whatever the Inquisitor had put in Mizore had to eventually wear out but until then they had to keep her cold and alive.

He left here there and moments later she heard a scream and felt a surge of demonic energy. It vanished seconds later and he returned to the bathroom, dropping the blade of a silver combat knife into the sink and letting his burnt hand heal. He then held up Yukari's engagement ring. Ruby could feel a large amount of magic coming from it. Tsukune had her dispel it then crushed the ring in his hand. He instructed Ruby to have Yukari create a temporary seal for Kokoa as soon as she woke up. When Ruby asked what he was going to do now he only told her that he was going out.

When Yukari woke up hours later, Ruby told her what needed to be done and had her take over her job when she was finished. Using so much magic for so long had taxed her and she barely made it out of the bathroom before falling asleep. She awoke to the calling of her name and her body being shook. Tsukune was above her, holding Moka and Kokoa in his arms. He placed them gently on the floor and moved Kurumu next to them as well. Next was Mizore with Yukari trailing slowly behind him. He placed the snow woman on the ground while Yukari simply stared off into space. She was still in a state of shock.

Turning to Ruby, he told her to take everyone to the place where he regained him humanity, continue Mizore's treatment and disable all her crow familiars. Ruby tried to argue but he wouldn't let her. Left with no choice, she disabled her crows and teleported everyone to the house. Everyone except for Tsukune. He stayed behind and didn't show up until dawn the next day. Ever since then he had been coming and going so sporadically that Ruby never had a chance to see him, let alone talk to him.

"As if he'd tell me anything," she angrily mumbled as she entered the bathroom. Mizore was resting in a claw-foot tub filled with ice and Yukari was sitting on a stool next to her. "Hey, Yukari. How's Mizore?"

The witch turned to her and smiled in greeting. "Why don't you ask her yourself?"

At Yukari's prompting, the snow woman opened her eyes and smiled. "Hey."

Ruby sat down on the broken toilet. "Hey. How ya feeling?"

"Much better. My body doesn't really burn that much anymore. Yukari said I should be able to move around by the afternoon."

"That's good. Do you have your lollipops?"

"Right here," said Yukari, patting the pouch in her lap.

"Good. Moka's awake by the way."

The dark-haired witch sat straight and her face brightened. "Really?! Can I see her?"

"Sure, I'll take over here. She's in the living room."

Yukari handed Ruby the pouch and bounded out of the bathroom. Ruby watched her go with a smile on her face. She had improved so much since Witch's Knoll but Ruby wondered how much of it was real improvement and how much was an act.

"You don't have to stay here, you know." Mizore shifted in the nearly melted ice. "I plan on getting out of this thing as soon as the ice is gone."

"I know. But I figured you'd like to have someone to talk to, since you're awake and all."

Mizore gave the witch a cool stare. "As a matter of fact, I would like to have a word with you."

Ruby audibly gulped. _Oh boy! What did I get myself into?_

"Tsukune. He's alive, isn't he?"

Ruby considered, for the briefest of moments, to lie to Mizore. But she decided against it. Too much had happened in the past week. It was only a matter of time before they all saw him again anyway. So why delay the inevitable?

She nodded. "Yes. He's alive."

"How long has he been with you?"

"Close to ten years. We've been working for Sanctuary ever since I saved his life."

Mizore gestured for Ruby to continue as she pulled herself out of the bathtub, reaching for her cloths and pouch.

"We were assigned to protect Moka and her inner self, Wilhelmina Sangreal. She was the next target for the Inquisitors. They had already killed her father and step-mother and, as we found out recently, her sisters as well."

Mizore popped a lollipop in her mouth. "Why didn't Tsukune contact us? Why did he let us believe that he was dead for all these years?"

"I don't know, Mizore. In all the time I've known him, he's never given me a straight answer. I don't think he ever will."

"I see. Where is he now?"

"No clue. He's been coming here off and on for the past week and never stays long enough for me to corner him."

Mizore and Ruby left the bathroom, heading down the hall. "Is he doing it on purpose?"

"I'm not sure anymore. Ever since we got this assignment, Tsukune has become harder to figure out. I can't tell if he has a plan or if he just does stuff at random."

The two women entered the living room and found Yukari in Moka's arms, her body wracked with silent sobs. When the vampire saw Mizore and Ruby, she smiled happily and held her arms open. Mizore went to hug her friend while Ruby stayed back and simply watched. It was nice seeing them all together again. True, the circumstances that brought them all together were less than ideal, but it was almost worth it to see them all smiling like this. Almost. Now if she could just track down a cretin pain in the ass ghoul, it would be perfect.

"Reminds you of the way they were back in school, doesn't it, Ruby?"

The witch absently nodded. "It sure does, Tsukune... _Tsukune!_"

Ruby's outburst got everyone's attention and five pairs of eyes turned in their direction, four of them widening in disbelief. The whole house became silent, nobody having the courage to move or blink. Tsukune was becoming increasingly uncomfortable with everyone staring at him. Deciding to be the one to break the ice, he cleared his throat and waved.

"Um...hey?"

His voice seemed to set off some kind of trigger within the women. Simultaneously they all shouted, "_Tsukune!_"

They all made a move to rush him but Moka beat them to it. With tears in her eyes, the pink-haired vampire launched herself from the couch and slammed into Tsukune, the force of her movements sending them crashing through a nearby wall. When Tsukune opened his eyes, Moka was straddling him and her face was buried in his chest, the tears from her eyes soaking into his orange shirt.

"You bastard!" she sobbed, her fists pounding his chest. "You stupid, stupid, stupid bastard! Do you have any idea how much I've missed you?! Do you even care?!"

Tsukune tried to answer but Moka cut him off.

"Shut up! I'm not done!" She pushed herself up and stared down at him, her tear-filled green eyes boring into his brown ones. "Ten years, Tsukune! For ten years I've missed you, cried for you, and begged for you to come back to me. And now that you're here...and now that you're here..."

Moka grabbed his jacket lapels and yanked him up to a sitting position, her face inches from his.

"I'm never letting you go again!"

And right there, in front of everyone, Moka kissed him. But this wasn't a soft or polite kiss; this was desperate and hungry. Tsukune didn't know what to do at this point but his body did. His arms came around to hold Moka to him and he started kissing her back, his just as hungry and desperate as hers. The other girls yelled in protest but none of them made a move to stop them. They simply stood and stared at the two.

When the two broke away from one another they were both gasping for air and had a red tint on their cheeks.

"Moka..."

"Tsukune...I'm not the only one who's missed you. _She_ has as well."

Tsukune was confused for a moment then realization dawned in his eyes when the pink-haired vampire reached for the cross on her neck.

"Moka, wait!"

Ignoring his protests, Moka ripped the cross off her neck, gripped his shoulders and pressed her mouth to his again. She knew for a fact that Wilhelmina would never do something as bold as she did. It wasn't that her counterpart was afraid; it was her pride as a royal and a vampire that would get in the way. Feeling herself being replaced by Wilhelmina's personality, Moka silently wished her luck and sat back to watch.

Tsukune, for his part, watched with wide eyes as Moka was replaced by her other self. Her hair turned silver, her bust and hips slightly increased and he knew that her emerald-green eyes were turning blood-red. He felt her fangs become longer and when the change finished, she opened her eyes to look into his.

Wilhelmina pulled back and a hand went to her moist lips, her cheeks turning a darker shade of red. "Tsukune..." Then she noticed the position they were in and she flushed once more, but his time in anger. "Tsukune!" she growled. "You...you...!" Grabbing his jacket she lifted herself onto her knees and leaned back, throwing Tsukune over her head. "Know your place!"

Tsukune went flying through the hole and landed on the couch with a crash, the piece of furniture giving way under his weight, breaking into many splintered pieces. Wilhelmina stepped through as the dust settled and looked down at the dazed ghoul as he lay sprawled on his back.

"Next time you put me in that position again, I won't just throw you."

Tsukune coughed and looked at the silver-haired vampire, inadvertently looking up her skirt at the same time and getting a full view of her panties.

"It wasn't my fault," he protested, quickly sitting up before she realized what he was looking at. "Moka put you there, not me!"

She crossed her arms and looked away. "That doesn't mean you had to stay there. You could've moved."

Tsukune pulled himself to his feet and dusted his jacket off. "Kinda hard to do. You weren't exactly in a position that gave me a lot of wiggle room."

Wilhelmina whirled on him, a blush on her cheeks. "_I _didn't put you there!"

Tsukune was going to say something but shut his mouth when he felt someone touch his arm. He turned to see Yukari staring at him, along with the other women. She slowly reached up and touched his cheek, lightly tracing the black marks on his face.

"You're real," she whimpered, tears forming in her eyes. "You're really real."

Tsukune smiled down at the witch. "Yeah. I'm real."

That seemed to be enough for her. With a cry she wrapped her arms around him and buried her face in the crook of his neck. "I missed you...I missed you so much, Tsukune..."

Tsukune went to put his arms around the crying witch when Mizore and Kurumu latched onto him, tears in their eyes as well. Instead he did his best to hold all three women at the same time. They all tightened their hold on him and he closed his eyes.

"I'm sorry," he whispered. "And I've missed you all, too."

Ruby, Wilhelmina and Kokoa stood back and watched the reunion. The Sangreal heir shook her head in amusement.

"Still the ladies man, I see."

Ruby could only shrug and smile. "I think it just comes natural to him. He doesn't have to do anything special. He's just...himself."

"Ruby," she said, her voice becoming serious and demanding. "What is going on here? Who were those men who attacked everyone at Witch's Knoll? And where the hell has Tsukune been all this time?"

"To tell you the truth, I'm not so clear on everything myself. Tsukune hasn't told me anything since the attack at the knoll."

Their attention was pulled back to Tsukune when the girls started arguing over who was hogging him too much.

Ruby sighed. "And it looks like he won't be telling us for a while."

Wilhelmina frowned and cracked her knuckles, walking towards the small group. "We'll see about that."

Ruby groaned and left to go find a first aid kit.

---------------

"So...where should I begin?"

Tsukune was standing in front of the gathered group of women. Wilhelmina stood off to the side looking only slightly interested while the rest sat on the floor, Mizore, Kurumu and Yukari nursing various wounds that Wilhelmina had given them when she had forcefully detached them from Tsukune.

"The beginning would be nice," the vampire princess said. She crossed her arms. "But we'll settle for where you've been for the past week."

"Right. Okay then. Well, after we left the knoll and Ruby brought everyone here, I went back. Something about those Inquisitors has been bothering me ever since news of Marias Sangreal's death reached Sanctuary. It shouldn't have been possible. Not only was he a Hell-King but his power exceeded that of an S-class monster."

Wilhelmina absently nodded. "It's true. Father was quite literally in a class of his own."

Tsukune wanted to comfort her but thought better of it. Her pride would never allow such a show of weakness or accept anyone's pity. She would deal with her grief in her own way. Instead he nodded in agreement.

"Did you find anything?" Ruby asked.

"No bodies, as usual. Just as before they did a good clean up job. But not good enough. They got sloppy this time." Reaching into a pocket, Tsukune pulled out a gold chain. "Recognize this?"

Everyone present gave him a blank stare.

"I suppose not. Tell you what, let me show you rather than try and explain it to you. Kokoa, would you come here a moment?"

The young vampire violently shook her head no then reconsidered her action. Her sister was there with them and she was watching her. She couldn't show weakness in front of her. Wilhelmina would never accept her if she did. Getting up, she walked over to Tsukune and stood in front of him.

"Hold out your arm please."

Kokoa did as she was told and Tsukune slipped the chain on her wrist. The moment he let go the chain tightened and there was a flash of light. An instant later, Kokoa's body changed. Her hair became flame-orange and her eyes became green. She looked at her body in amazement then back to Tsukune.

"How did you do that?"

"It's like my rosario," Wilhelmina said. "It seals a vampire's powers enough to make them appear human but leaves enough power present to identify them as a monster."

"That's right. All the Inquisitors I killed were wearing one of those. Its how they tricked Kokoa and her sisters to leave the castle and how they were able to kill Marias Sangreal."

"That's absurd! You're saying that the ones that killed my father and sisters were vampires?!"

"That's how it's looking."

"You're wrong!" Wilhelmina snapped, her anger getting the better of her. "There's no vampire, or monster for that matter, strong enough to kill my family! None!"

"Yet you and Kokoa are the only ones left."

Wilhelmina recoiled as if she had been slapped. Tsukune had _never_ spoken to her or Moka that way before.

Kurumu asked, "So what did?"

Tsukune shrugged. "I don't know. I drank from one of them when I saved Kokoa and didn't recognize the flavor of the blood. I've had blood from every monster in existence and the blood they had tasted like none of them."

"What are you saying, Tsukune?" Mizore asked.

"I'm saying that whatever monster they used to create these Inquisitors is completely unknown and it's more powerful than a super-vampire."

"Is there even such a thing?" asked Yukari.

"I don't know. Maybe there used to be and they don't exist anymore but that still doesn't explain where they got the blood to begin with."

"We could contact Sanctuary and ask for their help in the matter," Ruby suggested.

Tsukune furiously shook his head. "No way! That's another point I wanted to bring up. Think about it, Ruby. How did the Inquisitors find Marais and his wife? How did they find Castle Sangreal? It has its own private tunnel to and from both the human and monster worlds. And only the Sangreal family and Sanctuary knows about it."

"You mean...?"

"That's right. There's a mole in Sanctuary. That's what I've been doing for the past week. I've taken us off the grid. Our laptops, cell phones and safe houses we've stayed at have all been destroyed. I'm not taking any chances."

The entire room was quite as everyone felt the gravity of the situation weigh down on them. They were being hunted by fanatical humans and had no one to turn to. There was no cavalry coming to save them this time. They were on their own.

"So...what do we do now?"

Tsukune looked at Kokoa. She had moved to stand next to Wilhelmina and was trying to put on a strong front in front of her sister. But Tsukune could see the fear in her eyes. She was scared, just like everyone else here.

"I don't know. We can't stay here forever, that much I know. If I could at least figure out what monster the Vatican is using to create these Inquisitors, we could come up with a more effective way to fight them."

"I might know someone."

Everyone looked at Wilhelmina.

"Well, _I_ don't know him personally but my mother does. If you can find her, she will help us find him."

"Him who?" Tsukune asked.

The silver-haired vampire frowned and looked away. "Drake Shuzen, the second oldest vampire in existence and my step-grandfather."

---------------

Tsukune stretched and tried to work the kinks out of his joints. Ruby and Yukari had left hours ago to try and find Wilhelmina's mother. Ruby had transformed into a crow and taken to the air while Yukari had turned into a cat and darted off into the woods. That left Tsukune to watch the house himself. The others had offered to help him with the watch but he had declined. They needed their sleep more than he did at the moment. As soon as Yukari and Ruby returned they would all be leaving. He had no idea where they would be going but wherever it was it had to be safer than where they were.

He peeked through a crack in the boarded up window. Mizore, Kokoa and Kurumu were curled up in the sleeping bags he had brought for them. Moka was the only one not there and for an instant he began to panic. Then he felt a familiar presence getting closer. He turned around and found the pink-haired vampire standing behind him.

"Hey," he whispered. "I thought you were asleep."

She shook her head. "I couldn't sleep. Too much on my mind."

"I'm guessing the majority of it is about me?"

Again, Moka nodded.

Tsukune released a slow breath. "What do you want to know?"

"What do you think, Tsukune?" she snapped. "I want to know why you didn't come back to us! Why did you make us believe that you were dead for all these years?! Just what was going through your mind?!"

Tsukune was shocked to see Moka this angry. Sure, he had seen her upset and annoyed but he had never seen her really angry before. She'd always been good at keeping her temper in check. He tried to ignore her but she kept pressing, wanting to know why. Finally he couldn't take the pleading in her voice anymore. He whirled on her, eyes flashing in the darkness.

"I don't know, okay!" The words came out of his mouth before he could stop himself. "I just...I just... When I woke up I had all the memories of what I had been doing since I turned into a ghoul! It was horrible, Moka! I'd stalked and killed both monster and human alike, drinking their blood and eating their flesh! And worst of all I enjoyed it!"

Moka took a hesitant step back when Tsukune had snapped at her. "Tsukune..."

"You don't understand, Moka! You've never taken a life and enjoyed doing it. You've never watched your prey's life slowly being sucked out of them and seeing the fear in their eyes as they die. You've never killed so willingly and easily and simply accepted it as part of your everyday life. I did, Moka, and I couldn't bring myself to come back into your life and have all that coming with me."

Moka stared at him for a long time. She finally walked closer and slapped him in the face will all her strength. Tsukune's head snapped to the side and a red mark appeared on his face before his enhanced healing made it fade away completely.

"Wha...?"

"You idiot! Do you really think I'm that weak?! Did you think that I wouldn't be able to see all that and still accept you for who you are?! Do you think any of us couldn't do that?!"

"Could you?"

Moka resisted the urge to slap him again. "Yes, you idiot, we can. We already have."

"How?" Tsukune's voice came out in a whisper. "How could you all so easily and readily accept me, despite what I've done?"

"Simple," she said, encircling her arms around him. "We all love you."

Tsukune stiffened. He didn't miss the inclusion of herself with the group, using 'we' instead of 'they'. He wondered if it was a simple mistake on her part but when he looked down at her, she wouldn't meet his eyes and her cheeks were burning. He could feel the heat through his shirt.

"Moka..."

"Don't leave me -- us -- like that again."

Tsukune didn't miss the abrupt change of subject. That was fine with him. Although she didn't come right out and say it, he now knew how Moka felt about him. This would do for now. Maybe after all this was over and the Inquisitors were dealt with, they could give each other a proper confession.

He put his arms around Moka and held her close. "I won't. I promise."

Moka smiled up at him, her cheeks still aflame, and tightened her hold on him. The two held onto each other for the rest of the night until Moka finally fell asleep. Picking her up, Tsukune took her back inside and put her in her sleeping bag and zipped it up. He placed a soft kiss on her cheek and went back outside.

The sun was starting to come up and Tsukune reached for his glasses. He was about to put them on when the scent of blood assaulted his nose. The sound of rapidly moving feet and flapping wings brought his attention to the forest. He tensed for an attack and relaxed when Yukari, in cat form, burst through the underbrush and ran straight for him.

She transformed and skidded to a stop. She was bleeding from cuts all over her face and body. Ruby appeared moments later in the air and landed next to the younger witch. She sported similar injuries and was straining to hold onto an unconscious woman in her arms. One look at the short pink hair and Tsukune didn't even need to ask who she was. They had found Moka's mother.

Ruby grunted in pain and Tsukune quickly took the woman from her arms. Sighing in relief, she leaned on Yukari in exhaustion.

"Tsukune," she breathed, fighting to stay awake. "We may have a problem."

(End Part Five)

---------------

Author's Rant: Another chapter in the bag. I once again extend thanks to all my reviewers. It's thanks to ya'll that I'm able to keep writhing. I hope this chapter was satisfactory in answering the several questions I was presented with. However, I make no apologies in how long the reunion took. I couldn't just plop Tsukune back in everyone's lives without events building up to that point. It wouldn't work. Again, no apologies. Anyway, that's enough out of me. See you next chapter.


	6. Last Haven

I do not own Rosario+Vampire; it was created by Akihisa Ikeda. The characters are being borrowed without permission for entertainment purposes only. However, any characters I create are my own. So don't sue me, you won't get much anyhow. I will be using elements from both manga and anime.

Thank you for reading, C&C is welcome.

* * *

Thicker than Water

Part Six: Last Haven

By: Anime Otaku

* * *

"Everyone get up!"

Tsukune shouted as soon as he entered the living room. He rushed past the waking women and headed into the dining room, clearing a space on the table and placing Moka's mother gently on top of it. He could hear the women unzipping their sleeping bags and complaining about how early it was.

"Ruby! Yukari! What happened to you?"

Moka's worried and panicked voice was the first one he heard, followed by Mizore and Kurumu. He did his best to ignore them and focused on the woman lying before him. She was still alive, her breaths coming out deep and even. He checked her exposed flesh, looking for any kind of wound or mark. As he was unbuttoning her blouse, Moka came in and gasped.

"Mother!" She ran to Tsukune's side. "What happened to her?"

"We don't know," said Yukari. "When we got to her house there were Inquisitors waiting for us. We fought them off but couldn't get your mother to wake up."

Moka looked at her mother and felt panic welling up inside her. "Does she have silver nitrate in her?"

"I'm not sure," said Tsukune. "She's not showing any of the obvious symptoms. They must've injected her with the bare minimum to keep her incapacitated."

Moka took her mother's hand and leaned in close, tears forming in her eyes. "Please hold on, Mother. I can't lose you too."

The pink-haired vampire suddenly blinked and pulled away from her mother, looking at her more closely. She could see her lips slightly moving and heard her mumble out a couple of incoherent phrases.

Sighing in exasperation, she dropped the woman's hand and put her own on her hips. "Oh Mother!"

"What? What is it, Moka?" Tsukune stopped his search to look at the annoyed vampire.

"She's not hurt, Tsukune. She's just asleep."

Everyone present face-faulted. Tsukune was the first to spring to his feet. "Say what? You mean all this time she was _asleep_?"

Moka put a hand behind her head and laughed sheepishly. "Ah, yeah. I forgot to warn you about that. Mother has a habit of overexerting herself at work and will sometimes go without feeding for days. If a vampire does that they fall into a comatose state. We call it the Sleep of the Dead."

"I can see why," said Ruby. "I carried her the whole way here and she didn't move at all."

"So, how do we wake her up?"

"Oh, that's easy."

Moka rolled up a blouse sleeve and bit into her wrist, drawing blood. She held her wrist to her mother's lips and made sure the blood flowed into her mouth and down her throat. After several seconds of this she removed her wrist and licked it clean, the puncture wounds closing. Nothing happened at first then the woman on the table began to stir slightly. Her tongue came out to lick the dribble of blood that remained on her lips. She pushed herself into a sitting position and stretched, yawning as she did so.

"Good morning, Mother."

The elder Akashiya opened her ocean-blue eyes and turned to Moka, a big smile appearing on her face.

"Moka!" she squealed, jumping off the table and into her daughter's arms. "It's so good to see you again!"

Moka returned the hug, tightening her hold just a little. "You too, Mother. I'm glad you're alright."

"Of course I am, sweetie. Why wouldn't I be?"

Moka was too overcome by emotion to properly explain the situation to her mother. Instead she broke down in her arms. As the elder Akashiya tried to comfort her daughter, Tsukune could only stare in disbelief. They looked exactly the same. If it wasn't for Moka's mother having an almost overwhelming air of power coming off her - one that even surpassed Wilhelmina's - he would've believed them to be twin sisters instead of mother and daughter. It was slightly freaky. He'd never known of a daughter looking _exactly_ like her mother. He idly wondered if it had something to do with being a vampire or if it was just a genetic fluke.

"Oh my, we have guests."

Moka dethatched herself from her mother and wiped her eyes. "Yes. I'm sorry. You already know Yukari, Kurumu, and Mizore."

The three women smiled and waved.

"Oh yes! You wrote to me about them often. I was so happy when you brought them to meet me in person. But I don't recognize these two. Hello, I'm Akasha Akashiya! And you are?"

Ruby stepped forward and bowed. "I'm Ruby Toujou, a witch. It's nice to meet you, Miss Akashiya."

"Please, Ruby, call me Akasha."

The witch smiled and nodded. _Now I see where Moka gets it from._

Akasha looked at Tsukune and slightly tilted her head to the side. Her eyes slid up and down his body as if examining him.

"Well this is a surprise. You don't see very many vampires nowadays."

"Ah, actually," Ruby interjected. "Tsukune isn't a vampire. He's a-"

"I'm a ghoul." He cut Ruby off. She looked at him with eyes wide. Blatantly proclaiming yourself to be a ghoul was one of the main things you did _not_ do as a monster. Even Tsukune knew that!

Akasha brought a hand to her mouth in surprise. "Oh my! This truly is amazing. I've never heard of a ghoul that could actually hold a conversation. Usually they just kill and eat."

Tsukune held up an arm and pulled back his sleeve. Wrapped around his forearm was a spirit chain similar to Kokoa's.

"I'm a special case," he explained. "This chain keeps me from turning completely feral but it won't last long. Most of the links are damaged and can barely keep my powers in check. I say I have at least a month before the seal breaks completely."

The other women gasped in horror and he felt Moka grab his arm. He ignored them. There wasn't any time to focus on his own sad fate.

"But that's irrelevant right now," he said loud enough for everyone to hear him. "Right now what I need is your help, Miss Akasha."

"Really? How could I possibly help you?"

"I need you to tell me how to locate someone."

"And who might that be?"

"Drake Shuzen. I need you to tell me how to find Moka and Kokoa's grandfather."

* * *

Moka held a sobbing Akasha after Tsukune had explained the situation to her, not leaving out a single detail. The others would probably be angry with him later but it had to be done. Moka couldn't talk about what happened without breaking down into tears and the others would've tried to skirt around the unpleasant details in an attempt to spare the eldest Akashiya any real form of grief.

What they didn't understand was they didn't have time to do that. They were all living on borrowed time as is and if the Inquisitors had been waiting for Ruby and Yukari at Akasha's home then their time was severely shortened.

"Look," Tsukune began, trying hard not to lose his temper. "I'm sorry about your loss and about pressuring you like this but we don't have much time to waste. If Inquisitors were at your house then it's likely they're on their way here now."

Moka shot Tsukune a look of annoyance but he could see that she understood the situation just as well. She softly spoke to her mother, wiping away tears from her face.

"I'm sorry," Akasha said. "I just...never expected my husband to die. He's lived for so long..." She composed herself best she could. "What is it you need?"

"Drake Shuzen."

"What about him?"

"I need to find him."

"Why? What could Drake possibly have that you need?"

"Information." Tsukune waved his hand to everyone gathered. "The Inquisitors that attacked us had monster's blood flowing through them. A monster I don't recognize. According to Moka, Drake is the second oldest vampire alive in the world. He might know what kind of monster they're using."

Akasha nodded at his logic. "I see. That does make sense but finding him is going to be difficult. Drake hasn't shown his face to the outside world for over a thousand years."

"Then I'll find him and drag him kicking and screaming into the open if I have to."

Akasha looked Tsukune up and down, searching for any kind of weakness in his deceleration. If he really was serious about meeting Drake Shuzen, she had to know if his words were just words or if he actually meant what he said.

"You're a brave soul, Tsukune. Not very many monsters have the courage to seek out Drake Shuzen, much less threaten to force him into a meeting. Alright, I'll take you to him. But it won't be easy. We'll have to-"

"Tsukune!" Yukari's panicked voice interrupted the conversation. "We've got company! Inquisitors! And a whole bunch of them! They just took out my cat familiars!"

"Dammit!" Ruby hissed. "They must've followed me while I was in the air!"

"No time to worry about it now! Ruby! Yukari! Take Miss Akasha downstairs to the basement. Get a teleportation spell ready. Make it big enough to transport all of us a great distance away."

"How far?" Ruby asked as the witch ushered the two towards the stairs.

"Out of the country if possible!"

Ruby knew that trying to argue with him was pointless so she did as she was told and hurried towards the basement door. She hoped that Tsukune knew what he was doing.

Tsukune turned to the four women left. "We've got to buy them some time to complete the spell. Will you help me?"

Kurumu immediately nodded. "Just tell me what to do, Tsukune."

"Ditto," said Mizore.

Tsukune turned to the two vampires. "Moka, could you...?"

"You don't even have to ask, Tsukune." And with that she ripped the cross from her collar. Wilhelmina stood before them in all her regal glory. "These Inquisitors will learn their place," she told them with cool confidence. "Even if it is the last thing they learn."

"Me too!" Kokoa said, removing the spirit chain and transforming. "I'll help too!"

"This isn't a game, Kokoa," Wilhelmina told her sister. "People are going to die and you'll be the one killing them. Can you handle it?"

"Yes, Sister! I can do it!"

"Alright then." Wilhelmina turned to Tsukune. "We're with you. What do you need us to do? You have more experience fighting these Inquisitors. You lead us."

Tsukune nodded, feeling a heavy responsibility suddenly being placed on his shoulders. He tried not to think about it. His friends needed him now and he was going to do his best not to let them down.

"Okay," he said. "Here's what we need to do."

* * *

"This is gonna take all our power, Yukari," Ruby told the younger witch. "We need a magic circle powerful enough to take us out of the country."

"Right."

The two witches hastily began to construct a magical teleportation circle, etching runes into the outer rim. They were nearly complete in their task when a soft voice interrupted them.

"Um, excuse me."

The witches stopped what they were doing and looked at Akasha, confusion and a large amount of urgency. The elder vampire reached into her pocket and withdrew a piece of paper, handing it to Ruby.

"Could you possibly alter your circle to look like this?"

Ruby and Yukari studied the piece of paper and both nodded. "Sure," they said.

"But why?" ask Yukari. "We're almost done with this one."

"This will take us exactly where we need to go. Now, please hurry. I believe the Inquisitors are almost here."

Reminded whey they were there in the first place, Ruby and Yukari quickly altered the circle and idly wondered what Akasha had in mind.

* * *

"How long have you had that spirit chain?"

Tsukune looked at Wilhelmina. The two of them were crouched low on the roof of the manor, keeping to the shadows and suppressing their auras to an almost nonexistent level. They watched as the Inquisitors crept closer, noting the black clothing and submachine guns each carried. Tsukune was sure they each had a silver bladed knife and possibly a few flash grenades as well. What worried him was that he didn't see Kevin anywhere.

"Just a few days. I made it out of a few broken and discarded links I found at Witches Knoll. Like I said, they got sloppy in their clean up. I gave all the intact and most powerful ones to Kokoa. She needed them more than I did."

"How did you keep your ghoul nature at bay before now?"

He carelessly shrugged. "Multiple feedings every day from humans and transfusion bags, UV light to the eyes and sheer force of will."

"And you did this for ten years?"

"More or less. It was never easy and I came close to losing myself a couple of times. But I always managed to hold on to my sanity."

"How?" The question was past her lips before she could stop it.

Tsukune was about to tell her but stopped himself. The Inquisitors were close to the house now. It was time for them to act. He stood up and released his power, careful not to break anymore links.

"If we survive this," he told her with a smile, "I'll tell you."

Wilhelmina watched as Tsukune leapt from the roof and landed in the middle of the advancing humans. Gunfire erupted from below and the vampire quickly joined her ghoul partner.

"Your form is impressive," she told Tsukune as she delivered a snap kick that broke an Inquisitor's neck. "Almost as good as mine."

Tsukune blocked a knife thrust to his heart. He grabbed the wrist and thrust upward with his other hand, breaking the arm at the elbow. The human screamed in pain. Tsukune delivered a kick to the chest and heard the ribcage shatter.

"I had ten years to train." He jumped back as a stream of bullets hit the dirt in front of him. "You weren't going to be there to protect me anymore so I had to learn to protect myself."

The two monsters rushed the humans that had shot at Tsukune and made short work of them. The few that were left started to run away towards the woods. Tsukune and Wilhelmina watched them go.

"That was easy," the vampire princess remarked.

"Too easy. Those weren't even human-monsters." Tsukune tapped his foot while thinking. "They were just a distraction."

"A distraction from what?"

An explosion erupted behind them and they turned to see a section of the manor missing.

"From that."

* * *

The two ran back towards the house.

Kurumu was smiling to herself as she observed her work. It had been just as Tsukune predicted. The Inquisitors had distracted everyone with an assault on the front while more tried to sneak in through the back. She and Mizore had taken great pleasure in showing the humans the folly in their underestimating them just because they were female. The succubus wiped some blood from her face.

"That was too easy," said Mizore. The snow woman was standing beside a chunk of ice that had multiple frozen bodies in it. "I expected something harder."

"Who cares if it was easy? Just goes to show how much stronger we are than them."

Mizore's ice claws became hands again. "I don't like it."

"Neither do I," said Tsukune. He and Wilhelmina stepped through the giant hole. "None of these Inquisitors are like the ones we fought at Witch's Knoll. They're just regular humans."

"So what now?" Wilhelmina asked.

"We go downstairs. Ruby and Yukari should be finished by now. Let's get out of here before they have time to regroup."

"Too late!"

Kokoa shouted the warning just in time. Everyone present scattered as more Inquisitors burst through the front door and through the roof, the explosion causing it to collapse through the top floor. The last Shuzen had been put on the roof as a lookout for any kind of surprise attack the Inquisitors might try to make. She had seen the group that had been heading towards the back of the house and warned Mizore and Kurumu about them.

While she had been distracted by the two females fighting prowess, she had failed to notice the approaching reinforcements getting closer to the house or the helicopter loaded with more Inquisitors approaching. By the time she did, Tsukune and Wilhelmina had returned to the house and she caught the sight of grenades dropping out of the sky and onto the roof. She dashed inside and shouted her warning as the explosives detonated.

Ten Inquisitors came through the door and ten more fast rope descended through the hole the grenades crated, surrounding the gathered monsters. They all stood with their backs to one another, each watching the moves of the Inquisitors carefully. Tsukune was glad that these were just regular humans and not the human-monsters he faced at Witches Knoll. True, he had dispatched them all easily, but he had the element of surprise on his side. Here he did not. He did a quick count. Twenty Inquisitors and five monsters. Four apiece.

He looked at Wilhelmina and she gave him a slight nod. The others did as well. Without a word or a gesture they all leapt at the group of Inquisitors. Automatic gunfire erupted in all directions as the humans tried to kill their swiftly moving targets. Kurumu and Mizore were quickly dispatching the eight that were aiming for them. Their duel fighting style was a whirlwind of blood and death that left their victims frozen or cut to pieces. Tsukune and Wilhelmina had quickly dispatched and fed on all four of their attackers. They moved to help Kokoa, the most inexperienced fighter out of all of them, and stopped in shock.

Kokoa's eyes had turned blood-red and she was laughing manically as she beat the last of her four Inquisitors to death. Tsukune shivered. It was exactly like him when he had first turned into a ghoul. Finally Kokoa stopped hitting the man when he went limp. Pulling him in close, she sank her fangs into his neck and began to feed. When she had drained him dry, she let him go and threw her head back in rapture, blood rolling down to her chin from the corners of her mouth.

When the last human was dead and the heat of battle had calmed down, Kokoa began to relax. Her eyes returned to their normal state for an unsealed vampire and blinked, staring at the four bodies at her feet.

She turned to her sister and pointed at the dead humans. "Did I do that?"

Wilhelmina could only nod in silence.

"How?"

"We'll figure that out later," said Tsukune. "Right now let's head to the basement and get the hell out of here."

Tsukune ushered everyone to the lower level of the house and was pleased to see a giant, glowing magical circle in the middle of the floor. Ruby, Yukari and Akasha Akashiya were already standing in the middle of it. The two witches waved to the group.

"Hurry up!" said Ruby. "We can't keep this open much longer!"

They all crowded in next to the three females and Tsukune nodded. "Do it!"

Yukari nodded and together with Ruby they chanted the last incantation of the spell. The circle's glow reached almost blinding levels and in a flash of light and violent winds, the group disappeared.

* * *

Kevin watched from a safe distance away as a bright light emitted from the house in front of him and then disappeared in a flash, the house exploding in whatever magical backlash was caused by the spell. His hands balled into fists, his whole frame shaking with silent rage. They were gone, he knew it. They had slipped through his fingers again. He lashed out with a fist and hit a tree trunk, shattering the bark and leaving a fist-sized hole in the trunk.

"Dammit!" He turned to a man standing next to him. "Gather what men are left. We're going in there to find out what happened."

The Inquisitor saluted and went to carry out his orders. Kevin followed after the all clear sign was given. The entire frame of the house was gone, leaving only the foundation and the stairs leading to the basement intact. He carefully descended into the cellar and came to a stop at the edge of the magic circle that was charred black into the floor. He reached into a pocket and pulled out his phone, dialing a number.

"Yes?" the voice on the other end said.

"We lost them."

"You mean _you_ lost them."

Kevin grit his teeth, trying not to let loose with the obscenities he wanted to scream at the voice on the other end.

"I apologize," he managed to get out. "But they didn't get away scot free. They left something behind that could tell us where they went. I'm sending it to you now."

Kevin took a picture with his phone and sent it to his informant. "Make any sense to you?"

He heard a chuckle. "Indeed it does. I know exactly where they are."

The Inquisitor's hand tightened on his phone. "_Where?_"

"Elysium. Moka's going home."

"Elysium? What the hell is that?"

"The last haven for all monsters. If they're heading there then they must be desperate. I'll have some witches sent to you and reactivate the gate. Follow them, and make sure you finish the job this time."

The line went dead and Kevin resisted the urge to throw his phone across the room and smash it against the wall. He really hated putting up with the informant he had. But his information was always accurate and it had helped him and his Inquisitor brothers kill the king and queen of vampires as well as their children. All but two. But soon, very soon, that problem would be rectified once and for all.

* * *

The white light slowly faded from Tsukune's vision and he blink to clear the black spots in front of his eyes. They blinked again, this time in astonishment. The group had been teleported into the middle of a vast garden. A fountain was in its center, crystal clear water flowing from the top and cascading down several levels to create small waterfalls that eventually ended in the pool at the base. Flower of all shapes, sizes and colors adorned the thousands of bushes that littered the ground.

"Tsukune!" Kurumu shouted. "Look up!" She shifted the weight of a barely conscious Yukari and pointed towards the ceiling.

The ghoul and his friends did and all gasped in surprise. Several hundred feet above them was a dome made of some clear material. Beyond it was a vast blue-blackness that let no light in. At first Tsukune thought it was the night sky but when he could find no stars of even the moon, he began to have his doubts. Just then a large, black shape slowly moved across the dome's top and out of sight. It took Tsukune a few seconds to realize that he had just seen a whale.

"We're under water!"

While everyone there was looking up at the dome ceiling in amazement, Akasha seemed only mildly interested. Gently lifting Ruby into her arms, she started walking away from the group, heading for the large castle at one end of the garden. The others stared in awe for a few more moments then hurried to catch up to the elder vampire. They reached a pair of large double doors and Akasha passed Ruby to Tsukune. She placed her hands on the doors and shoved them open, stepping into a foyer that Tsukune was certain he could fit his entire old house in.

The group stopped in the center of the foyer and waited. Akasha looked around for a few seconds then composed herself. She looked up to the top of a grand staircase they were all standing in front of and took a deep breath.

"Drake Shuzen!" she shouted in a commanding voice that sounded just like Wilhelmina's. "Show yourself at once! I command it!"

The hall was silent then the sound echoing footsteps could be heard. A showed from slowly appeared at the top of the staircase and then stepped into the light of the hanging chandelier. He was tall, wearing black Victorian-style clothing and a cape. His black hair was slicked back and his glowing red eyes looked upon the group with a large amount of hostility and annoyance.

"Who dares command me in my own castle to come forth?"

Akasha boldly stepped forward. "I do. As it is my right and _my_ castle you reside in."

Drake scrutinized the vampire for a few seconds then immediately dropped to a knee, bowing his head. "Lady Akasha! You have returned."

The rest of the gathered monsters stared in bewilderment at Drake's actions. Wilhelmina could not understand why her grandfather, one of the most powerful vampires in the world, was kneeling to her mother.

"You insolent fools!" Drake's voice brought everyone's focus back to the ancient vampire. "How dare you not show proper respect? You are in the presence of Akasha Bloodriver, Queen of Vampires and first Hell-King to all monsters!"

All eyes turned to Wilhelmina's mother. She looked away self concisely, hiding her eyes behind her bangs.

Tsukune couldn't stop himself. After everything that had happened the past month, having his revelation dropped in his lap was the last straw. The ghoul lost his cool demeanor and blurted out the first thing that came to his mind.

"What the _fuck_?"

(End Part Six)

Author's Rant: I return! Sorry for the long wait, I had a ton of stuff to take care of here in the real world. But I am back and I come bearing a new chapter for everyone to enjoy. And enjoy it I hope you all do. So enjoy and I will see you next time.


End file.
